February 24, 2012, In Person at IWCE in Las Vegas, Nevada
Come Join NPSTC at IWCE for its Meeting on February 24, 2012. NPSTC will hold its first 2012 in-person Meeting in Las Vegas, Nevada, following the IWCE Conference. We will meet in room S226 of the convention center at 8:30 am–5:00 pm. Agendas will be posted closer to the meeting. Join NPSTC's leadership at the meeting to learn who we are, what activities we are currently working on to improve public safety telecommunications, and how you can share YOUR input on the critical issues facing the public safety telecommunications community today. Come visit NPSTC's booth; we will be welcoming interested attendees at our booth, number 9075, on Wednesday, February 22, and Thursday, February 23.
Regular Working Group conference calls are posted on the NPSTC Calendar so you can participate and keep up to date on issues between our Meetings.
NPSTC participants will receive 25% off the conference price if you mention code G2 when registering.
YouTube Agrees to Modified Terms of Service after Negotiations with NASCIO
January 17, 2012
Lexington, KY – Following lengthy discussions involving members of the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) Social Media Legal Workgroup, YouTube has agreed to modify the terms of service exclusively for state government. The new terms resolve a series of legal issues around indemnification and court of jurisdiction, which posed a significant risk to state government.
Today the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) issued the attached Order directing each of the jurisdictions currently authorized to deploy public safety broadband networks in the 763-768/793-798 MHz public safety broadband spectrum to utilize a single, common public land mobile network identifier (PLMN ID) designated by the Alliance for Telecommunications Industry Solutions' International Mobile Subscriber Identities Oversight Council. The authorized jurisdictions are the 22 entities that have received waivers to pursue early public safety broadband network deployment in the public safety broadband spectrum. The waiver recipients and the public safety community widely support use of a single, common PLMN ID.
The Bureau further directed the waiver recipients to collectively implement a scheme for the assignment of International Mobile Subscriber Identities and other sub-identification numbers necessary to support all the operations of these LTE broadband deployments on an interoperable basis and to arrange for a common clearinghouse to support commercial roaming by all of the jurisdictions.
If you have any questions or need any additional information, please let us know - email Jennifer Manner.
Save the Date Now for PSCR's 2012 700 MHz Public Safety Broadband Demonstration Network Stakeholders' Meeting
January 13, 2012
PSCR is pleased to announce its third 700 MHz Public Safety Broadband Demonstration Network Stakeholder Meeting, to be held March 6-7, 2012, at the Omni Interlocken Resort and Hotel in Broomfield, CO (10 miles south of Boulder). This two-day meeting will bring together representatives from public safety, Federal agencies, industry, and academia. Participants will learn about progress in PSCR's PSBB Demonstration Network testing, including:
Phase 1 test results and lessons learned;
Current Study Item findings;
Recent public safety broadband requirements gathering and standards development activities;
Preliminary voice over broadband audio quality testing findings and future plans;
Nation-wide broadband modeling and simulation efforts and results being conducted by NIST
Please use the following link to register and reserve rooms for the March 6-7 Public Safety 700-MHz Demonstration Network Stakeholder Meeting:
Please note that registration must be completed by February 29th and space is limited (so the sooner the better). Also, to receive the Omni Hotel's contracted rates, room reservations must be made by February 5th. See the link provided above for further details.
FCC Public Notice: Less than One Year Remains for LMR Licensees to Transition to Narrowband Operations
January 06, 2012
Less than one year remains for land mobile radio licensees in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz bands to transition to narrowband operations. Please find attached a Federal Communications Commission Public Notice reminding licensees, frequency coordinators, equipment manufacturers, and other interested parties of the Federal Communications Commission’s January 1, 2013 deadline for private land mobile radio licensees in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz (VHF/UHF) bands to migrate to narrowband (12.5 kHz or narrower) technology.
First Ever Joint NCSWIC and SAFECOM ERC Meeting Held December 6-8, 2011 in Atlanta
January 05, 2012
A Message from OEC Director Chris Essid - Thank you to all those who attended the first ever NCSWIC-SAFECOM joint meeting in Atlanta (December 6-8, 2011). I hope that each of you had the opportunity to meet new colleagues and learn valuable information that you can bring back to your States and organizations. Partnerships are vital to the success of the public safety community, and one of OEC’s goals is to help facilitate relationship building by bringing together these two important stakeholder groups. Improving interoperability at all levels of government is an ongoing process, and the Nation’s achievements to date would not have been possible without your dedication and expertise. I look forward to continuing our work together.
[courtesy Karen, Radio Club of America] It is with great sadness that I report to you that Joseph Y. Nasser, Ph.D passed away on December 27, 2011 after a brief illness. He was hospitalized on Christmas Eve with what his family thought was pheumonia. He apparently took a turn for the worse Monday and passed away on Tuesday. Joe had requested no funeral service. Here is the link to Joe’s Obit http://www.bevisfh.com/obituaries/Joseph-Nasser/#/Obituary. Joe was Vice-President and General Manager of the Public Safety Information Systems Division at RCC Consultants, Inc. He was a Radio Club Member and Fellow since 1987, as well as a past president of APCO.
Joint SAFECOM and NCSWIC Slide Deck is Now Available
December 19, 2011
2011 ERC Winter Meeting – Joint SAFECOM and NCSWIC Meeting – This slide deck provides meeting content presented during the December 6, 2011 Joint SAFECOM and National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) meetings.
The Joint SAFECOM and NCSWIC Slide Deck is now available on the SAFECOM Website at the link below:
NASCIO Releases Third in a Series on Cloud Computing
December 08, 2011
LEXINGTON, KY – State and local governments are sharing IT resources through the creative use of cloud computing, according to "Capitals in the Clouds Part III – Recommendations for Mitigating Risks: Jurisdictional, Contracting and Service Levels," an issue brief released today by the National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO). This report is also available for download on NASCIO's website at www.nascio.org/publications.
Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS) Collaboration
December 01, 2011
Through Commercial Mobile Alert Service (CMAS), for the first time, the public can receive local and national emergency alerts on their mobile devices without having to opt-in to a service. Throughout 2012, DHS S&T, in partnership with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the alerts and warnings community, including industry representatives, will conduct a series of regional pilots and forum discussions to help the alerts and warnings stakeholders take full advantage of CMAS.
When a major traffic accident occurs on the highway, local 911 centers receive increased numbers of calls alerting them of the accident. When Next Generation 911 (NG911) is widely available, how will the PSAPs manage the volume of text messages they are sure to receive? The NG9-1-1 What's Next Forum, convened by the Transportation Safety Advancement Group (TSAG) at the request of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT), Intelligent Transportation Systems Joint Program Office (JPO), examined that issue through panels of law enforcement, fire/rescue, emergency medical services, and transportation professions at a forum that asked questions about the changes NG911 will create and how to address them.
2012 APCO Western Regional Conference Registration is Open
September 26, 2011
The 2012 APCO Western Regional Conference in Anchorage is just around the corner. Reserve your place at what promises to be a great conference with attendees from the entire country, an exciting educational program and an opportunity to see new equipment and products all in one place! If you would like to volunteer please email Susan Lamasko. We have lots of work to do. We are still accepting Call for Paper proposals, sponsorships and exhibiters.
Come join the NPSTC Panel on Wednesday, February 22, 2012 11:00 am–12:15 pm, in Room WO6.
PSCR is pleased to announce its third 700 MHz Public Safety Broadband Demonstration Network Stakeholder Meeting, to be held March 6-7, 2012, at the Omni Interlocken Resort and Hotel in Broomfield, CO (10 miles south of Boulder). This two-day meeting will bring together representatives from public safety, Federal agencies, industry, and academia. Participants will learn about progress in PSCR's PSBB Demonstration Network testing, including:
A Message from OEC Director Chris Essid - Thank you to all those who attended the first ever NCSWIC-SAFECOM joint meeting in Atlanta (December 6-8, 2011). I hope that each of you had the opportunity to meet new colleagues and learn valuable information that you can bring back to your States and organizations. Partnerships are vital to the success of the public safety community, and one of OEC’s goals is to help facilitate relationship building by bringing together these two important stakeholder groups. Improving interoperability at all levels of government is an ongoing process, and the Nation’s achievements to date would not have been possible without your dedication and expertise. I look forward to continuing our work together.
2011 ERC Winter Meeting – Joint SAFECOM and NCSWIC Meeting – This slide deck provides meeting content presented during the December 6, 2011 Joint SAFECOM and National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) meetings.
