National 911 Public Safety Telecommunicators Week

More than 35,000 people die each year in traffic crashes, and there’s no doubt that number would be higher if there was not 911 to call when a crash happens. This is one of the reasons that the National 911 Program is housed in NHTSA’s Office of Emergency Medical Services. Another reason: when you call 911, it’s just not about 911 telecommunicators providing help over the phone, but often getting help to your location. 

Speaking of 911 telecommunicators, now is the time to tell them thanks — it’s National Public Safety Telecommunicators Week. This year’s celebration starts April 10 and runs through April 16. National 911 organizations and federal agencies are all recognizing the role of 911 with a variety of ideas, like 911 Tree of Life, CISA, and sending messages on social mediaREAD MORE

911inform Announces the Release of Location Discovery Solution (LDS) for Ray Baum’s Act 506 Compliance of Legacy Panasonic Telephone Systems in the United States

WALL, NJ / ACCESSWIRE / April 7, 2022 / 911inform, the nation’s leading emergency management platform for Enterprise, announced today the launch of its Location Discovery Solution (LDS) for Panasonic. The 911 inform solution for Panasonic allows Panasonic to protect the investment in their legacy communications systems by providing RAY BAUM’S Act 506 compliant functionality for the existing installed base of Panasonic telephone systems. The 911 inform solution was built off of 911inform’s innovative, and award-winning Location Discovery Solution (LDS) and as integrated into the Panasonic PBX systems, it now provides owners of the existing Panasonic phone systems with the RAY BAUM’S Act compliant functionality as now required under federal law… READ MORE

Top 10 Items To Include in Your NG911 Project Plan

Multi-line telephone system (MLTS) owners and operators have several options for implementing Enhanced 911 (E9-1-1) and Next Generation 911 (NG9-1-1) technology. Whether the MLTS is on-prem, cloud-based, or hybrid, the organization’s responsibilities are the same. Every physical phone, softphone, call center application, videoconference application, etc., issued or in use and provided by the organization or connected to the organization’s network must be accounted for in the project plan. It is important to consider the most appropriate way to comply with FCC rules and regulations without sacrificing future options for NG9-1-1 service… READ MORE

IWCE 2022: FirstNet more than 95 percent complete; new tech advances adoption

A decade ago, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) was authorized under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 as an interoperable broadband network designed exclusively around the needs of public safety organizations. It was conceptualized in the wake of the Sept. 11, 2001 World Trade Center attacks, which laid bare communication shortcomings.  

At first, given the massive scope of the undertaking, its completion wasn’t certain. Today, however, with upwards of 95 percent of the network completed ahead of schedule, city and county organizations are signing on… READ MORE

Public Safety Advocate: More IWCE, Throwback April Fool’s, Rural Broadband

I am disappointed that I cannot find the archived article I wrote a number of years ago and published on April Fool’s Day. I had described how I was at a restaurant in Silicon Valley and at the table next to me were some Microsoft and FCC executives. I reported that they were discussing how Microsoft could buy the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and have access to all the spectrum the FCC controlled. The article went into detail and some readers fell for it. This year I will be sticking to facts and truth!

More IWCE 2022

As I said last week, it was great to be able to attend IWCE again. Yes, the number of attendees and exhibitors were down from pre-Covid years but I am confident that next year, unless there is yet another outbreak of the virus, IWCE should be back where it was a few years and perhaps larger…

CISA Officially Designates April as Emergency Communications Month

CISA Officially Designates April as Emergency Communications Month

Today, the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) kicks off its inaugural Emergency Communications Month. Through its emergency communications mission, CISA supports and promotes the ability of emergency response providers across the nation to communicate in the event of a natural disaster, terrorist act, or other hazard. CISA also provides various resources and guidance for stakeholders to establish emergency communications infrastructure and protocols…