Government
If We Want It, We Have to Fight for It
April 27, 2011Public safety officials from rural, suburban and urban communities working in law enforcement, the fire service and emergency health care have joined forces to convince the House, the Senate, the FCC and the Obama administration that the rightful owner of the D-Block spectrum should be public safety.
Read full articleFCC Announces Meeting of the Emergency Response Interoperability Center Public Safety Advisory Committee Scheduled for May 24
April 22, 2011The Federal Communications Commission, consistent with the Federal Advisory Committee Act, announces that the FCC’s Emergency Response Interoperability Center Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) will hold its second meeting on Tuesday, May 24 at 10:00 a.m. The PSAC is a Federal Advisory Committee that will provide recommendations to assist the Commission and the Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) in developing a technical interoperability framework for a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network
Read full articleFCC Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn Addresses the Women of APCO International
April 21, 2011On April 14, attendees of APCO International’s 2011 Women in Public Safety Communications Leadership Conference had the opportunity to hear FCC Commissioner Mignon L. Clyburn speak on topics important to their lives and careers in public safety communications.
Read full articleCharleston 9-1-1 Center Aids FCC Probe in Maryland
April 21, 2011Kanawha County, W.Va. — Kanawha County 911 Center officials are cooperating with a Federal Communications Commission investigation of 911 outages in Maryland. FCC engineers interviewed Kanawha County 911 Director Carolyn Charnock last week, after reading reports about a similar 911 emergency failure in Charleston during an April 5 storm.
Read full articleFCC Announces Forum on Earthquake Communications Preparedness
April 20, 2011The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission will host an Earthquake Communications Preparedness Forum on May 3, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Read full articleFCC Extends Deadline for Membership Nominations for CSRIC Until May 13
April 20, 2011On March 22, the FCC opened nominations and expressions of interest for membership on the rechartered Communications Security, Reliability, and Interoperability Council (CSRIC). The original deadline was April 22. By this Public Notice, the deadline to submit nominations and expressions of interest is extended to May 13.
Read full articleLead Federal Agency for EMS?
April 13, 2011Stakeholders and EMS administrators from across the nation joined the Federal Interagency Committee on Emergency Medical Service (FICEMS) during its teleconference April 11 to discuss the potential of a lead, federal EMS agency. “Please remember that emergency medical communications is an important component [of EMS],” said APCO’s Kathy McMahon.
Read full articleFCC Launches New Website
April 7, 2011Washington, D.C. – The Federal Communications Commission today launched a complete overhaul of the agency’s web site – FCC.gov. Now…
Read full articleIt’s Time
April 7, 2011A countdown clock on the FCC’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau website is ticking away the days, hours and minutes left to comply with a federal mandate designed to ensure more efficient use of the radio spectrum used by public safety organizations. The mandate calls for narrowbanding, meaning existing licensees operating on a 25 kHz channel (wideband) operating at VHF (150–174 MHz) and UHF (421–512 MHz) using Part 90 frequencies must reduce their emissions to 12.5 kHz. All Industrial/Business and Public Safety Radio Pool licensees must comply by Jan. 1, 2013.
Read full articleThe Needs of First Responders
April 1, 2011“Mr. Chairman, the needs of first responders are not being met,” said APCO International President Bill Carrow before the U.S. House of Representatives Homeland Security Committee. On Wednesday, Carrow and other Public Safety Alliance representatives testified at a hearing on the state of public safety communications since 9/11 and legislation to reallocate the D Block to public safety.
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