by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 2, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
By David Buchanan, Executive Director of Public Safety Advocacy, FirstNet Authority
Last year saw the release of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) Roadmap, the launch of network investment planning, and significant buildout of the network. It also saw a renewed commitment from our FirstNet Authority team of expert public safety advisors to engage with public safety and improve, expand, and bring innovation to FirstNet.
Through targeted engagements, our team has been working to better understand public safety’s technical and operational broadband needs and how FirstNet is impacting public safety operations today. Since January, our team has taken part in more than 900 in-person and virtual engagements, meeting with nearly 21,000 public safety stakeholders from across the country. Whether engaging in person or virtually, we have received recommendations and ideas to positively influence the FirstNet network’s path forward. READ MORE
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 2, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
The Federal Communications Commission has voted along party lines to expand the use of the 4.9 GHz band, over objections from public safety users.
The 4.9 GHz spectrum, which consists of 50 megahertz (4.940-4.990 GHz), was designated for exclusive use by public safety for fixed and mobile services back in the early 2000s. That spectrum was allowed to be shared with non-traditional public safety responders. The FCC has now dropped the requirement that the spectrum be used for public safety-related activities. The GOP majority on the commission supported the view that due to the high cost of equipment in the band and the fact that its use is mostly confined to a few metropolitan areas, the spectrum is underutilized and states ought to be allowed to use it to “best meet their unique needs,” as the FCC said in a statement…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 1, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
Download Original PaperABSTRACT
Introduction: Emergency Medical Services (EMS) regularly respond to lift assist calls. Previous studies have shown lift assist calls present a significant risk of morbidity and mortality. This group of callers is also likely to make repeated calls to 911 for EMS assistance. The ability to foresee which of these patients may need to call 911 again within 24 hours could help decrease the risk posed to patients in these situations…
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by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 1, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
The National Institute of Standards and Technology is asking the public to help it find new ways to de-identify public safety datasets so researchers and policy makers can glean insights while protecting individual privacy.
Large public safety datasets containing health and location information could help epidemiologists identify the source and spread of a specific infection and help public safety personnel with emergency response in the event of a large-scale disaster…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 1, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
TRIAL BY FIRE: When the coronavirus pandemic arrived, medical professionals scrambled to set up outdoor testing centers, telemedicine links and data hubs to track how the disease spread.
For many communities, including in remote and underserved parts of the country, a lack of one key resource threatened to throw the whole effort sideways: broadband internet…
by AllThingsECC.com | Oct 1, 2020 | Articles, Comm Center News
Welcome to October! This has been a tough year for everyone, especially for the public-safety community. However, there continues to be good news on the communications front along with, of course, some bad news. On the plus side, after a very strong bi-partisan vote, the House of Representatives passed H.R. 451, the repeal the T-Band giveback. Currently, the FCC is faced with having to auction the T-Band spectrum (470-512 MHz) that is designated for use by the public-safety community in eleven major metropolitan cities and their surrounding suburbs…
