Alexandria, VA – The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International received final approval from the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) on January 3, 2017, for an American National Standard (ANS) that identifies standard nomenclature for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) designed nationwide interoperability channels.

This document outlines the Standard Channel Nomenclature for Public Safety Interoperability Channels as revised in 2016. The requirement for a common naming protocol for public safety’s interoperability frequencies was identified in early 2000 by the Public Safety National Coordination Committee (NCC), a Federal Advisory Committee chartered by the FCC that operated from 1999 to 2003, and provided recommendations to the Commission on operational and technical parameters for use of the 700 MHz public safety band.

“Voice interoperability is crucial during emergency events. APCO is pleased to have worked with the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) to continue to provide updates to this very important standard,” said Cheryl Greathouse, President of APCO International.

The standard can be downloaded at http://www.apcointl.org/standards/apco-standards-for-download.html.  For questions regarding APCO Standards, please email standards@apcointl.org.

APCO International® (www.apcointl.org)
APCO International is the world’s oldest and largest organization of public safety communications professionals and supports the largest U.S. membership base of any public safety association. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide – and the welfare of the general public as a whole.