by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 29, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
By Randy Kerr, Situational Awareness Roadmap Domain Lead, First Responder Network Authority
As the only nationwide broadband network dedicated to public safety, FirstNet gives first responders access to unique features such as priority, preemption, and quality of service. Primary users on FirstNet – including those working in law enforcement, the fire service, emergency medical services, emergency communications, and emergency management – have priority and preemption access to the network, even in times of extreme congestion. These features are always on and do not require any action from public safety, which allows them to stay focused on the mission at hand. READ FULL ARTICLE
by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 28, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
The U.S. Department of Commerce National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded $2,988,950 in a new round of funding for new interoperable communication systems for public safety. Initially funded by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Science and Technology Directorate (S&T), through its Small Business Innovation and Research (SBIR) program, Catalyst Communications Technologies of Forest, Virginia, was provided this Phase III SBIR award for commercialization of its interoperable communications solution.
S&T previously provided Phase I and Phase II SBIR funding to Catalyst to develop interworking solutions for land mobile radio (LMR) and long-term evolution (LTE) communication systems for public safety. Catalyst established a roadmap for effective interworking during Phase I and is just now concluding Phase II work building prototypes for a variety of LMR systems and a public safety-grade dispatch console that seamlessly supports both LMR and LTE…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 27, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
State and local entities that use revenues from 911 fees for purposes that do not directly support 911 will be identified and risk losing access to federal 911 funding, according to the FCC’s report and order addressing the issue of 911 fee diversion that was required by Congress.
Released yesterday, the order fulfills an FCC obligation to establish rules that are designed to discourage a longtime issue within some states of assessing and collecting 911 fees from subscribers’ phone bills and then not using the money for 911—a practice known as fee diversion, or “raiding,” within the public-safety community. Congress mandated that the FCC approve the rules and create a new 911 Strike Force within six months of the passage of the Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act in appropriations legislation that was signed into law in late December 2020…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 26, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
So I’m pretty sure we have akk “butt dialed” someone, somewhere, sometime. Maybe even many times. Usually no harm, no foul, right?
Now this brings to light a recent Facebook post from the Maine Department of Public Safety Communications department that has many people upset.
The issue is with 9-1-1 hang up calls and the domino effect of those calls. It appears this is mostly an Apple iPhone issue as Apple has recently added a feature that makes it easy to make an emergency call by simply holding two buttons together at the same time…
by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 25, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
AT&T (NYSE: T) has announced the expansion of the FirstNet broadband communications platform’s deployable network assets to support public safety personnel during emergency response efforts.
The company said Thursday the expansion provides law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical service personnel and other first responders access to over 100 FirstNet portable cell sites to deliver communications support during the 2021 hurricane and wildfire seasons.
“We’ve expanded the FirstNet fleet to provide even more portable cell sites, as well as to introduce new types of assets to help public safety stay mission ready,” said Jason Porter, president of public sector and FirstNet at AT&T….
by AllThingsECC.com | Jun 24, 2021 | Articles, Comm Center News
This week’s Advocate is made up of a series of shorter pieces covering items I think the public-safety community should to be aware of, starting with how upcoming wildfires, hurricanes, tornados, floods in the east, and severe drought in the west will potentially increase the number of incidents and affect first-responders’ ability to handle them efficiently.
Then we will look at the new National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) standard for portable radios and speaker/microphones for withstanding the extreme conditions often faced by firefighters. Having bet on NFPA-certification, L3Harris appears to be the first vendor to build a fully-functional portable with multiband Land Mobile Radio (LMR) and FirstNet capabilities that should comply with the NFPA standard…
