Earthquakes, hurricanes and other recent emergencies underscore need to empower the public with practical information on preparing for how to communicate before a disaster strikes – and how to better communicate during and after a disaster.

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NPSTC announces the creation of a practitioner advisory group, the Video Technical Advisory Group (VTAG), to provide input to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Video Quality in Public Safety (VQiPS) Initiative on choosing, using, and improving the ways video technologies serve the public safety community.

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(New York, NY) - NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski, Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator W. Craig Fugate, top executives from AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile and Verizon and others convened at the World Trade Center site to announce PLAN--the Personal Localized Alerting Network.  PLAN is a free service that will allow customers with an enabled mobile device to receive geographically-targeted, text-like messages alerting them of imminent threats to safety in their area.  This service will be available in New York City by the end of 2011, at least two calendar quarters before the rest of the nation.

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On March 1, 2011, NPSTC unanimously voted to support the concept of a nationwide broadband architecture for public safety instead of the network of networks approach.  At an ex parte discussion held by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for invited representatives of public safety.  NPSTC made the strong case for a flexible, reliable, and vibrant nationwide broadband architecture, presenting high-level conceptual drawings to help illustrate the difference between the network of networks approach and the financial, technical, and practical advantages of a nationwide network architecture.  On March 10, NPSTC issued a position paper.

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On Friday, March 4, 2011, from 9:00 am to 3:30 pm, the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC's) Public Safety Homeland Security Bureau’s (PSHSB) Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) will host a forum to garner input on the technical framework for the nationwide public safety mobile broadband network to ensure nationwide interoperability. This network must be technically compatible and fully interoperable from the first day of network deployment in order to serve as the nationwide broadband network envisioned for America's first responders. The forum will be held in the Commission Meeting Room at FCC Headquarters, located at 445 12th Street, SW, Room TW-C305, Washington, DC 20554.

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NPSTC recently issued a questionnaire to better understand how the 4.9 GHz band is being used, asking questions such as these: Is your agency currently using 4.9 GHz spectrum and, if so, for what primary use?  What 4.9 GHz spectrum uses have you found successful and what uses have you found unsuccessful?

For more information and questionnaire results, see Dave Buchanan 4.9 GHz Presentation.

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LEXINGTON, KY — Call to Action Highlights Threats and Critical Capabilities for States.  The National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO) has issued a cybersecurity call to action, which directs the attention of new and incumbent governors to a key set of questions state policy leaders should ask state chief information officers (CIOs) and chief information security officers (CISOs).

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(Courtesy Paul Kirby, TR Daily) - Several members of the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee expressed concern today about whether enough funding will be available to construct a nationwide public safety broadband network - particularly in rural areas.

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The Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) announces the availability of the latest version of the National Interoperability Field Operations Guide (NIFOG), Version 1.4.  If you require a pocket-size printed version, use the NIFOG request form.  For copies for businesses, visit U.S. Government Printing Office for Businesses and type "Interoperability" in the Simple Search box.

Questions or comments:

    Email Ross Merlin or phone 202-343-1667
    Email OEC

Downloads:

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(Commentary by Vice President Biden) During his trip to Michigan on Thursday, the president announced the Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative.  It will, for the first time, allow first responders to build a reliable communication network that takes advantage of the same technology that my grandkids use on their smartphones, while making high-speed wireless services available to millions of Americans in rural areas.

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President Obama will announce details today for the development and deployment of a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for public safety.  Called the “Win the Future through the Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure” initiative, the plan calls for the reallocation of the D Block for public safety and significant investments to support the buildout of the network.  For further details visit, http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/02/10/president-obama-details-plan-win-future-through-expanded-wireless-access.

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The U.S. Department of Homeland Security's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is requesting individuals who are interested in serving on the National Advisory Council (NAC) to apply for appointment.

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The FCC's Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) will hold an Interoperability Forum on March 4 to gather input "on the technical framework for the nationwide public safety mobile broadband network to ensure nationwide interoperability," the Commission said today.  The issues on which the forum will focus include ensuring nationwide public safety broadband interoperability using fourth-generation wireless technology, deploying Radio Access Network (RAN) equipment, and network security.  The forum will be held in the FCC's Commission Meeting Room and is slated to run from 9 am to 3:30 pm.  Seating is limited and Online preregistration for the limited seating is available at www.fcc.gov/pshs/event-registration.html.

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FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski announced the appointment of Jeff Johnson, former President of the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), as Chairman, and Deputy Chief Eddie Reyes, Alexandria, Virginia Police Department, as Vice Chairman of the Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC).  The PSAC will make recommendations to assist the ERIC in the development of a technical framework and requirements for interoperability to ensure that the public safety wireless broadband network is interoperable on a nationwide basis.

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Excerpt from President Obama's State of the Union Address, "This National Wireless Initiative will enable businesses to grow faster, students to learn more, and public safety officials to access state-of-the-art, secure, nationwide, and interoperable mobile communications. For public safety officials, this can mean the difference between success and failure, or even life and death; as such technologies can allow emergency workers to access building designs at the scene of an accident and police officers to send pictures to one another in realtime.  Finally, the initiative will foster the conditions for the next generations of wireless technology, nearly doubling the amount of wireless spectrum available for mobile broadband (through incentive auctions and other mechanisms to ensure spectrum is used more efficiently) and providing critical support for R&D in wireless innovation."

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Book now to attend NPSTC's quarterly committee meetings in San Antonio, TX, February 28-March 1, 2011.  Call in: (888) 569-3956, access code: 1568341977.  The meetings will be held at the El Tropicano Riverwalk located on San Antonio's beautiful Riverwalk.

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You are invited to discuss current telecommunications issues with NPSTC.  On Wednesday, March 9, from 11:00-12:15 pm, NPSTC will host a panel at the International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) on current events in public safety communications.  We urge you to attend to learn the most up-to-date information on important issues and to discuss your concerns regarding public safety telecommunications challenges.  Please come visit us in the NPSTC booth #8075 during the week.  Also included below is a link to the IWCE registration form.

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NPSTC is currently studying the future spectrum needs for public safety communications.  The 4.9 GHz band is the largest allocation to public safety for broadband data needs.  This questionnaire is intended to gather information on how you use the 4.9 GHz band and the scenarios in which you found its uses to be successful or unsuccessful.  We are also interested in gathering information on future anticipated uses of the 4.9 GHz band.

Your participation in this study will greatly assist NPSTC in determining future spectrum needs for public safety communications, and requires you to only answer a few short questions.

     Help with the Study by Answering a Few Short Questions

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The Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau will hold a workshop on VHF/UHF narrowbanding to assist licensees in completing the transition to narrowband radio communications by January 1, 2013.  The event will be held on January 26, 2011, from 1:00 p.m.-4:30 p.m. in the Commission Meeting Room (TW-C305).  The workshop will be open to the public and available on the web.  For more details, see the announcement below.

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In September 2010, NPSTC's Broadband Working Group (BBWG) began meeting by phone and in person to develop a functional definition of mission-critical voice requirements for broadband.  The BBWG is asking the public safety community to review the document and provide edits or feedback to ensure that the document has the correct focus and includes appropriate and complete information.  Please review Mission Critical Voice Communications - Public Safety - NPSTC Broadband Working Group, and then submit comments to comments@npstc.org.  Please use track changes or submit comments on a separate document, clearly indicating the changes you are suggesting.  The comment period will close on February 6, 2011.

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(courtesy Lindsay A. Gross, Managing Editor, Radio Resource Media Group) - All incidents, no matter how big, start local, said Chris Essid, director of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC).  For this reason, in fiscal year 2010, OEC launched its first regional coordination program.

     Article

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We are pleased to let you know that the Fiscal Year 2011 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants has been posted to the SAFECOM website for use by grantees in drafting their 2011 applications.  Like its predecessors, this document provides guidance on eligible emergency communications activities and equipment standards.  Unlike its predecessors, this year's SAFECOM Guidance is directed toward grantees, including State, local and tribal recipients.

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(courtesy Andrew M. Seybold) - Let's Make 2011 Great!  This was a very good year for Public Safety's push for adding the D Block to the already allocated 700-MHz broadband spectrum that is licensed to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST).  The Public Safety community came together in 2010 like never before with the PSST, APCO, Major City Chiefs, IACP, IAFC, NSA, NPSTC, and other organizations working hand-inhand with a common goal to have the D Block reallocated.

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(courtesy Andrew M. Seybold) - Recently, the Coalition for 4G, made up of T-Mobile, Sprint- Nextel, The Rural Cellular Association, and other companies opposed to the reallocation of the 700-MHz D Block to Public Safety renamed itself. It is now known as "Connect Public Safety Now" (CPSN).  In spite of the name change, this organization remains opposed to reallocating the D Block to Public Safety.  Since Connect Public Safety Now believes that commercial broadband is more important than a Public Safety nationwide broadband network, I have taken to calling it "Connect Public Safety-NOT!"

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Washington, D.C. – Rapid Sharing of Videos, Photos and Data to Improve Emergency Response.  The Federal Communications Commission today took an important step to revolutionize America's 9-1-1 services for consumers and first responders by adopting a Notice of Inquiry (NOI) seeking public comment on how Next Generation 911 (NG911) can enable the public to obtain emergency assistance by means of advanced communications technologies beyond traditional voice-centric devices.

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Help Us Help You by Filling Out a Brief Narrowbanding Questionnaire

On January 1, 2013, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has mandated that all public safety and business industrial land mobile radio (LMR) systems operating in the 150-512 MHz radio bands must cease operating using 25 kHz efficiency technology, and begin operating using at least 12.5 kHz efficiency technology.

The FCC mandate to narrowband is 2 short years away. NPSTC has created a Narrowbanding Questionnaire to ascertain the status of narrowbanding across the country.  Completing this questionnaire will help the FCC assist jurisdictions to develop helpful strategies to accomplish the narrowbanding goal.  Questionnaire can also be accessed by pasting the following link into your browser: http://survey.constantcontact.com/survey/a07e35mhk20ggwakvl5/start

You may receive this notice from more than one source because NPSTC wants to ensure as many of the affected LMR users fill out the questionnaire and access the narrowbanding assistance available on NPSTC's website and FCC's website.  Please forward this notice to other agencies or persons who may be affected by the narrowbanding mandate.

Who Is Affected: This mandate affects more than just public safety.  In general it affects any users operating at VHF (150-174 MHz) and UHF (421-512 MHz) utilizing Part 90 frequencies.  This includes but is not limited to public safety, public works, utilities, hospitals, higher education, and K-12 schools.  If you are uncertain if this will affect your radio operations or if you need more information on the steps to begin your narrowbanding effort, please click on the above hyperlinks or insert the following link into your browser: http://www.npstc.org/narrowbanding.jsp

Personal Assistance Available: The NPSTC narrowbanding page includes a map of the United States.  When a specific state is selected, the map will display contact information for local, knowledgeable contacts who can provide information on the narrowbanding process.  These contacts come from the State’s Interoperability Coordinators, the Department of Homeland Security's (DHS) Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) Regional Coordinators, local public safety frequency advisors, and National Regional Planning Council (NRPC) members, plus additional persons who have volunteered to assist in the process.

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(courtesy Charles V. Bryson) - As was recently reported, the 4G Coalition, an organization of some carriers advocating the auction of the D Block, has changed their name to "Connect Public Safety Now (CPSN)."  While the name has changed, the message remains the same.  On Monday, CSPN held a press event in Washington in an attempt to develop support for their cause.  In the event, the CPSN had a number of their consultants hired to advocate their case to auction the spectrum to commercial carriers instead of reallocating it to public safety, speak to the media.

In response, Bill Carrow, President of APCO stated, "By their actions this week, it is clear to us that T-Mobile, Sprint-Nextel and a narrow coalition of well financed business interests have made a conscious decision to oppose the professional judgment of an overwhelming majority of our nation's first responders and state and local government officials."  He continued, "[and] we are more determined than ever to expose this disingenuous marketing effort."

Attached are Press Releases issued by some of the public safety organizations continuing to advocate for the transfer of the D Block to public safety.

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Washington, DC - The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) today adopted an Order that establishes a technical framework to ensure interoperability in the public safety mobile broadband networks states, counties and cities approved for early deployment are planning to construct.  These regional broadband networks must be technically compatible and fully interoperable with one another, as well as the nationwide network envisioned for America’s first responders.

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Washington, D.C. - With the January, 1, 2013 narrowbanding compliance deadline approaching for VHF/UHF public safety and commercial licensees in the 150-174 MHz and 421-512 MHz bands, the Federal Communications Commission's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (Bureau) today launched a new webpage dedicated to providing information and assistance to licensees migrating their land mobile radio systems from 25 kHz to 12.5 kHz or narrower channel bandwidth.

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(courtesy Andrew M. Seybold, TRDaily) - Despite the importance of the Internet and communications networks, efforts to ensure their security remains largely reactive, and may continue to be so unless and until a major event triggers a more proactive approach, one expert suggested today.

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(Courtesy Paul Kirby, TR Daily) The House Appropriations Committee's homeland security subcommittee late yesterday approved by voice vote a fiscal year 2011 spending bill for the Department of Homeland Security that includes $50 million for the Interoperable Emergency Communications Grant Program (IECGP).

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The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) today announced the approval of the American National Standard (ANS) to ensure national consistency of interoperability on related radio channels (APCO/NPSTC ANS 1.104.1-2010: Nomenclature for the Public Safety Interoperability Channels).

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The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) today announced the approval of the American National Standard (ANS) to ensure national consistency of interoperability on related radio channels (APCO/NPSTC ANS 1.104.1-2010: Nomenclature for the Public Safety Interoperability Channels).

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Mission Critical magazine online reports, "Less than a month after the Gulf Coast oil spill, the U.S. Coast Guard could access a 700/800 MHz interoperable radio network featuring fingertip roaming throughout the Gulf Coast region.  Building off the Louisiana state radio network, Brant Mitchell, deputy director, Louisiana Governor's Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness, reached out to Mississippi, Alabama, and Texas to create an interoperable regional network.  "The really cool thing is now someone in Austin, Texas, can communicate over radio to someone in Pensacola, Florida", Mitchell said.  "We think it's the largest self-sustaining radio network in the country."

Click here to learn how these states connected.

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Twelve of the 13 public safety associations participating in the September 15, 2009, National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) Governing Board meeting opposed a National Emergency Number Association (NENA proposal to reallocate the current Public Safety 700 MHz Broadband spectrum to commercial use and auction that spectrum and the D Block spectrum as well.

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by Sandra Wendelken, Editor

Earlier this month, the U.S. departments of Homeland Security (DHS) and State and the Mexican government announced a new cross-border public-safety communications network. The network provides a formal agreement to enhance an earlier communications strategy between the two countries established in 2007 (see “The Border, La Frontera” in the November/December 2007 issue of MissionCritical Communications).

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The National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) voted yesterday to call upon the P25 Compliance Assessment Program (CAP) to implement and enforce conformance standards tests as part of the CAP process and to only allow testing in approved labs, following reports that vendors are balking at conformance testing and are suggesting that testing outside of approved labs be allowed as an alternative process.

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WASHINGTON/MEXICO CITY — September 2, 2009 — The Departments of Homeland Security and State announced today that senior officials on the United States-Mexico High-Level Consultative Commission on Telecommunications (HLCC) have signed a bilateral telecommunications agreement to support a new cross border communications network for public safety and law enforcement organizations focused on strengthening border security.

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[Urgent Communications by Donny Jackson] Yesterday, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council’s broadband task force announced the completion of its final draft of a report designed to outline required — and desired — characteristic to be included in a 700 MHz national broadband network for interoperable public-safety use.

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The Commerce Department has sent Congress draft legislation that would give public safety agencies up to 2 more years to complete their Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant Program projects.  Responding to the short timeframes allowed to complete PSIC projects, Commerce General Counsel Cameron Kerry sent draft legislation to the Congressional leadership in late July asking for the PSIC extension from September 2010 to 2012.

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