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Voters renew $1.86 monthly 9-1-1 surcharge (MI)
By a vote of 26,428 (61.04 percent) to 16,867 (38.96 percent), voters in Genesee County renewed the monthly 911 surcharge of $1.86 on landline, wireless, and voice over the internet protocol (VoIP) service users within the county during the special election Tuesday,...
Lorain County Commissioners to address 9-1-1 system outage (OH)
Lorain County Administrator Tom Williams says the county will investigate the cause of a 911 system outage. The outage occurred at 9:18 p.m. on May 2, according to Lorain County's emergency notification system. Williams said it lasted 10-15 minutes. The county will...
Durham Region’s 911 call centre needs more staff: Durham Regional Police Association (Canada)
The Durham Regional Police Association is calling on the region to hire more 911 operators. President Colin Goodwin says public safety is at risk. “Why do we have to wait for something bad to happen?” Goodwin asked, “The ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure at...
Lewis County landline 911 service restored (MO)
LEWIS COUNTY, Mo., (KHQA) — UPDATE: Northeast Emergency Communications Center (NECOMM) 911 officials were notified just after 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday that an equipment failure at a major telephone switching facility located in Wentzville, Mo., was the cause of an...
Dispatcher on the job for 40 years (ME)
ELLSWORTH — Hancock County Regional Communications Center (RCC) dispatcher David Brady has been answering 911 calls, calming panicked callers and dispatching deputies, firefighters and EMTs for longer than some people have been married. On Tuesday, the Hancock...
Clarion Co. adopts new ordinance for communication towers (PA)
CLARION – New regulations are now in place for all communication towers in Clarion County.At their April 27 meeting, Clarion County Commissioners Ted Tharan, Wayne Brosius and Ed Heasley unanimously approved Ordinance No. 1 of 2021 — an amendment to the 2017...
Minister Bush tours Department of Public Safety Communications (Cayman Islands)
Minister for Home Affairs, Youth, Sport, Culture and Heritage (HEYSC&H), Hon. Bernie Bush; and Parliamentary Secretary (Home Affairs), Mr Isaac Rankine, took their first departmental familiarisation tour on Monday May 3 2021 when they toured the Department of...
State looking at future of 911 (IL)
Emergency services could get a boost after a major communications company was told it will receive a grant to help establish an enhanced 911 network. AT&T will receive a grant that would allow it to create an internet-based network that would be more reliable and...
Meigs County dispatcher provides CPR over the phone, helps save a man’s life (TN)
New legislation required dispatchers across Tennessee to learn a new skill this year: giving CPR instruction over the phone. Within just a month of learning this, that skill was put to good use this past week in Meigs County. “It’s a high-stress situation, so there’s...
Residents say staffing issues within public safety agencies are causing lives to be lost (MD)
BALTIMORE, MD (WEAA) — Residents are blaming staffing shortages within the police and fire department for lives being lost in Baltimore City. On Sunday, multiple people were shot at Carroll Park in south Baltimore, one person was killed. The Baltimore Firefighter’s...
APCO International Announces 2021 Award Winners
Alexandria, VA – The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International is pleased to announce the winners of the 2021 Public Safety Communications Awards and Technology Leadership Awards. The winners will be recognized, along...
County a step closer to bringing Text 911 system online
SYCAMORE – The ability to text a 911 operator in DeKalb County remains months away, but progress in implementing the system is inching forward, according to local emergency personnel. DeKalb County E911 Coordinator Heather Butler said during a Wednesday emergency...
Abilene police dispatch gets new tool that helps track location of 911 calls (TX)
ABILENE, Texas (PRESS RELEASE) – APD announces the addition of Jurisdiction View, a new data and situational awareness tool to access critical location and additional data during an emergency. APD is one of the first agencies nationwide to test and implement this new...
Upgrades coming to statewide 911 network (IL)
CHICAGO - Illinois officials announced Wednesday upgrades are coming to the state's 911 network. AT&T was chosen among numerous vendors to develop the new Internet-based NG911 Network which is intended to cut down response times and...
MegaRange and AirgainConnect – Built for Public Safety
By Richard Mirgon, Public Safety Consultant As I was writing some comments on social media the other day I had to go back and look at the legislation that brought us FirstNet and the requirement that FirstNet be built using commercial standards. That entire section...
New Emergency Medical Dispatcher school course offers career path, dispatch training (CA)
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) -- A Central California adult school is taking action to offer a new pathway, for people thinking about making a career change. Emergency medical dispatcher student Myra Duran says she's always had a passion for helping others "I was very...
Cascade County Sheriff’s Office launches online reporting system (MT)
GREAT FALLS — The Cascade County Sheriff’s Office announced on Tuesday that it now offers online crime reporting for non-emergent incidents.Cascade County Sheriff Jesse Slaughter says the system enables people to make reports from the safety and comfort of their home,...
Work continues on public safety radio system study (ME)
DOVER-FOXCROFT — A feasibility study for a Piscataquis County public safety radio system is nearing completion and should be presented to the Piscataquis County Commissioners in the near future. Piscataquis County Emergency Management Agency Director Tom Capraro told...
Telecom Alert: 900 MHz Applications; NG911 Waiver Process Request; FWHA Memo; 4.9 GHZ Band Stay Draft Order; EBB Launch Date [Vol. XVIII, Issue 18]
FCC to Begin Accepting 900 MHz Applications The Wireless Telecommunications Bureau released a Public Notice last week announcing that it will begin accepting 900 MHz broadband segment applications. In May 2020, the FCC realigned the 900 MHz band to make available six...
Dispatch center successful since transition (OR)
The Grant County Emergency Communications Agency continues to grow since it became its own agency in 2019. Dispatch Director Valerie Maynard said things have gone well since the transition. The dispatch team moved from the John Day Police Department to the John Day...
UPCOMING WEBINARREGISTER>
FirstNet Independence: A governance case study
Thursday, February 19, 2026
1:30 PM PT | 2:30 PM MT | 3:30 PM CT | 4:30 PM ET
As we are near the time Congress must reauthorize FirstNet, there needs to be a discussion on the review of FirstNet Governance. Join former FirstNet Board Chairs Sue Swenson, Chief Richard Carrizzo, and former Vice-Chair Chief Jeff Johnson, as they discuss the value of an independent FirstNet Authority, program oversight, and the need to protect and advance the nation’s public safety network.
The creation of the FirstNet Authority marked a deliberate and historic policy decision by Congress to establish an independent, nationwide public-safety broadband authority insulated from traditional departmental control. Born out of the lessons of 9/11 and codified in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act, FirstNet was designed to operate with a singular mission: to ensure reliable, interoperable communications for the nation’s first responders. The discussion will examine the governance structure, rationale for its statutory independence, and oversight model.
Reauthorization SurveyMORE>
PSBTA Releases Survey on First Responder Support for FirstNet Reauthorization
New Survey: First Responders Overwhelmingly Support Reauthorization of FirstNet
A new bipartisan national survey commissioned by the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association finds near- unanimous support among first responders for reauthorizing the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority)– the agency overseeing America’s dedicated public safety broadband network.
PETITIONSMORE>
Congress should reauthorize the FirstNet Authority now.
Support the reauthorization of the FirstNet Authority to preserve public safety’s network
PSBTA UpdatesMORE>
Podcast
FirstNet and the 4.9 GHz Spectrum
This episode dives into the critical evolution of public safety communications, focusing on the recent FCC decision to establish a nationwide Band Manager framework for the 4.9 GHz spectrum, and discuss the evolution and deployment of the FirstNet System. Host Chris Tubbs interviews Chief Jeff Johnson, a leader in public safety technology and the development of FirstNet. Together, they explore the history, governance, and transformative potential of FirstNet and the 4.9 GHz spectrum in enhancing public safety operations with emerging technologies like AI, 5G, and augmented reality. The discussion emphasizes the importance of protecting and optimizing public safety spectrum, the lessons learned from past advocacy efforts, and a call to action for public safety leaders to remain engaged in ensuring the spectrum’s effective use and governance.
LISTEN TO PODCAST
Public Sector GrantsMORE>
Webinar
Accessing Federal Resources When an Emergency or Major Disaster Strikes
In light of the major disasters that our nation has recently experienced, PS Grants is offering this FREE webinar to review Disaster Assistance Programs and how to access them. Learn what federal funds and resources are available through Disaster Assistance, understand the process of requesting assistance, know what to expect before, during, and after, and find out who to contact for help.
REGISTER
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