by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2021 | Comm Center News
RALEIGH – The Federal Communications Commission officially awarded and designated innovation zone status to an existing site in and nearby North Carolina State University on Thursday.
Innovation zones are created so that qualified licensees — such as North Carolina State University, which operates the existing site that was a part of the Platforms for Advanced Wireless Research (PAWR) program funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF) and a consortium of 35 wireless companies — can test advanced technologies beyond the boundaries of a college or university campus or laboratory facility, the FCC said.
The confirmatio followed up on a proposal announced last month…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2021 | Comm Center News
Boston is trying to come up with better ways to aid individuals experiencing an emergency mental health crisis in part by reducing the role of police officers in responding to some 911 calls.
Proposed changes include efforts to dispatch teams of paramedics and behavioral health practitioners — a change that aims to take mental health crisis calls out of the hands of uniformed and armed officers.
Under one of the models outlined by acting Mayor Kim Janey on Thursday, the city is hoping to improve and expand dedicated teams of police officers and mental health workers who respond together to 911 calls reporting a mental health crisis that also includes a possible public safety risk…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2021 | Comm Center News
Sioux Falls is getting started on its new public safety training campus in northwestern Sioux Falls.
Building permits were filed Tuesday for several buildings in the complex, including an administration and classroom building, fire training building, range building, maintenance building and storage facility.
In total, the building permits cost about $30 million. WSKF Architects Inc. is listed as the applicant on the permit, which is a Kansas City, Missouri-based architecture firm known for designing fire and police stations across the country…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2021 | Comm Center News
SNOW HILL – County officials approved fines to be associated with the implementation of Kari’s Law. The Worcester County Commissioners on Tuesday approved a fine schedule associated with the enforcement of Kari’s Law, which requires multi-line telephone systems to allow for direct dialing 9-1-1.
“In the past we passed the bill for Kari’s Law,” said Worcester County Emergency Services Director Billy Birch. “This is just putting the fine schedule to it.”
Kari’s Law ensures that anyone can reach a 9-1-1 call center when dialing 9-1-1 from a multi-line telephone system. The law is named in honor of Kari Hunt, who was killed in a motel room by her estranged husband, according to 911.gov. Though her daughter tried to call 9-1-1 four times, the calls never went through because the motel phone system required a user to dial “9” before any outside call…
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2021 | Comm Center News
As 911 calls spike along with coronavirus cases, a short-staffed Baton Rouge EMS is struggling to keep up.
“Our people are working nonstop,” EMS spokesman Mike Chustz said in a recent interview.
The shortage has only been exacerbated by a dramatic uptick in non-emergency 911 calls.
Late last month, the department reported that the East Baton Rouge 911 dispatch center saw an 880% spike in COVID-related calls between June and July — an uptick Chustz said he’d never seen during any crisis in his 26-year career..
by AllThingsECC.com | Aug 6, 2021 | Comm Center News
HOLBROOK — Navajo County recently put the finishing touches on an ambitious plea for $25 million in federal funding to improve broadband speed and reliability in the southern reaches of the county.
Meanwhile, Arizona Sens. Kyrsten Sinema and Mark Kelly announced nearly $1 billion in federal grants to improve broadband coverage on reservation – including the sprawling Navajo Reservation covering northern Navajo and Apache counties.
The twin announcements represent solid progress in efforts by Navajo County to lay the groundwork for a fast and reliable internet network, which economic development officials see as the key to the region’s economic future. Navajo County recently hired a consultant to come up with a broadband master plan that would extend coverage to isolated communities and eliminate the slow speeds and frequent, prolonged outages that have plagued the current system…
