NEW YORK — On Tuesday, AT&T announced it hit a major milestone with $130 billion invested into FirstNet, its communication platform designed for first responders.
The platform was created in 2017, and since then has amassed more than three million users nationwide.
In addition to the investment announcement, the company also announced a variety of new initiatives related to the platform. To combat dead zones inside structures, AT&T is collaborating with the Safer Buildings Coalition to create new code requirements and in-building communications capabilities.
The company also announced it was adding a third “emergency pathway” to reinforce the reliability of the FirstNet platform, like a “’backup’ to the ‘backup’” line,” according to a company press release.
By Edward Parkinson, CEO, First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority)
Broadband has become the lifeblood of our economy. It is also essential to our national security and public safety, a fact that first responders recognized many years ago. The tragedies of September 11th revealed fundamental problems with the communication systems used by our nation’s first responders. They needed a more advanced telecommunications infrastructure for their lifesaving mission, a reliable one to help them communicate and share information during emergencies and daily operations… READ MORE
After 18 years in the market, the latest Skype update finally allows users to utilize the said video conferencing app for emergency calls.
In addition to this, the said Skype 911 call update now lets users to share location. “The three-digit telephone number “9-1-1” has been designated as the “Universal Emergency Number” for citizens throughout the United States to request emergency assistance,” per Nena. The organization added that this is a national phone number that connects people with a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) quickly and easily… READ MORE
As public-safety officials today commemorate the 10-year anniversary of the FirstNet Authority being created, the deployment of the FirstNet nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) has proceeded well enough that no one needs to face a firing squad, according to former Authority board Chair Sue Swenson.
“Save it for another time,” Swenson said during a recent interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications, noting that the initial five-year FirstNet buildout is expected to be finished this year. “I had forgotten that we can tell people that we don’t have to shoot them now.”
Of course, Swenson was joking—gunfire was never an actual threat. But it was Swenson who famously stated “we should be shot” if FirstNet was not completed as planned in 2022 while testifying before the Senate Commerce Committee almost seven years ago…
America’s Public Safety Network Surpasses 2.81 Million Square Miles, Expands First Responder Access to 5G and Strengthens Commitment to Mission-Ready Infrastructure (Courtesy of FirstNet and AT&T)
In the nearly 5 years since AT&T was selected by the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) to build and operate FirstNet®, the company moved quickly to bring more coverage, boost capacity and drive new capabilities for first responders and the communities they serve, whether they be rural, urban and tribal.
To date the public safety community on FirstNet has access to the nation’s largest coverage footprint, reaching more than 2.81 million square miles across the country. That means they cover more than 50,000 square miles above that of the largest commercial networks (about the size of Alabama), enabling more first responders access to an entire ecosystem of innovative solutions to keep them mission ready…
Across the United States, Public Safety Answering Points (PSAPs) are understaffed. PSAPs are the crucial call centers where operators receive 911 calls and route them to the appropriate emergency service personnel—such as police departments, fire departments, or emergency medical services (EMS). Although staffing is a perennial problem for PSAPs, COVID-19 has further exacerbated the issue and put already overburdened staff under increasing amounts of stress.
At a time when more people are seeking work/life balance and positive mental health, it’s easy to surmise that many PSAP call-takers and dispatchers may be leaving the industry for jobs that are better paid, have nicer schedules, or that don’t require the stressful daily navigation of traumatic events… READ MORE
Learn about current efforts to continue to protect the 4.9 GHz Band for public safety as well as recent filings, key decisions impacting these efforts, and how you can support PSSA’s initiative to protect the 4.9 GHz band for public safety.
