A new Senate bill, backed by 80 agriculture and other industry organizations, would ensure farmers and countless others who rely on GPS would not have to pay to fix interference issues created by Ligado Networks’ operation on the broadband spectrum.
U.S. Sens. Jim Inhofe (R-OK), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), and Jack Reed (D-RI), and Mike Rounds (R-SD) introduced S. 2166, the Recognizing and Ensuring Taxpayer Access to Infrastructure Necessary for GPS and Satellite Communications Act, also known as RETAIN GPS and Satellite Communications Act.
In the letter, the organizations emphasized the importance of GPS for our society. “The reliability of GPS and satellite communications is necessary for safety of life operations, national security and economic activity; critical communications capabilities; commercial and civil aviation; first responders, 9-1-1 and other public safety operators; military readiness and communications; weather forecasting; the movement of goods on our highways; the marking maritime harbors and channels; farmers planting and harvesting crops; operation of construction and mining equipment—and the list goes on and on…
By Michael Varney, Director of Stakeholder Collaboration, First Responder Network Authority
Natural disasters and other incidents, large or small, magnify the importance of secure, reliable communications. Network congestion, infrastructure damage, and incompatible radio networks are all problems that prevent responding teams from effectively communicating. In response to these challenges, Congress created the nationwide public safety broadband network, FirstNet, in 2012.
Years ago, I worked as a consultant with a department that was having some serious conflicts between line firefighters and dispatchers. Because I was hired to work primarily with uniformed firefighters, I mostly heard their side of things. They told stories about dispatch errors and categorized dispatchers as lazy or incompetent. But when I asked what direct experience those firefighters had working and communicating with dispatchers apart from their own emergency response, the answer was very little.
When I suggested including dispatchers in the training sessions I was facilitating, I got strong pushback. “Why include them?” people asked. “We have nothing in common with them… READ MORE
Carrollton, Texas – The National Fire Protection Agency, or the NFPA, has issued requirements for many businesses which require the installation and maintenance of Public Safety DAS. These requirements are intended to enforce a base level of wireless connectivity in public spaces. This is to ensure a standard of connection quality that first responders can rely on in emergency situations. While the NFPA requirements have been stated clearly, many businesses find themselves non-compliant. Many more struggle to find a reliable company that offers quality DAS services in order to make themselves compliant…
Many Internet of Things (IoT) systems solve a single problem. They are designed as standalone or one-off solutions because organizations are often under pressure to deploy a solution quickly. As
a result, it is easier to adapt an existing system by bolting on the components that enable connectivity, for remote access and data gathering, and linking to a cloud-based data management system
for analytics and visualization purposes. During the design phase, it is also easy to overlook how such a system might evolve or be supported in a lifecycle sense…
Untethered drones carrying a payload heavy enough to deliver LTE connectivity have demonstrated flight times approaching two hours, which would make their usage much more practical in key first-responder scenarios, public-safety representatives said during last week’s Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) 2021 virtual event.
Five teams demonstrated an unmanned aircraft system (UAS) that supported flight times of at least 60 minutes during the final “Last Drone Standing” stage PSCR’s First Responder UAS Endurance Challenge, according to results of the prize challenge announced last week. A multi-rotor drone that leverages both gas and electric energy designed by the Advanced Aircraft Company team from Hampton, Va., posted the longest flight time of 112 minutes—six times longer than the best flight time logged in the 2018 UAS challenge sponsored by PSCR… 2022.
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.
