Briefs: FirstNet begins interviews for top post

Board members for FirstNet — the entity responsible for overseeing the buildout and operation of a much-anticipated 700 MHz public-safety broadband network — are starting to interview candidates that have expressed interest in filling the position of general manager, according to a FirstNet spokesperson.

More than 20 candidates applied to become FirstNet general manager, a position that is expected to oversee the day-to-day operations of the entity. The number of candidates has been “narrowed down,” and interviews with those who made the first cut are scheduled to begin this week, the FirstNet spokesperson said.

Currently, FirstNet board member Craig Farrill is serving as acting general manager until a full-time general manager is hired.

FCC bureau posts narrowbanding notice

The FCC’s wireless telecommunications bureau yesterday posted on its website a public notice concerning equipment certification associated with the commission’s mandate that UHF and VHF systems be narrowbanded from 25 kHz channels to 12.5 kHz channels.

In the public notice, the bureau waives a rule that prohibited the certification of new 25 kHz-capable equipment designed to operate in the T-Band (470-512 MHz) spectrum, because the narrowbanding requirement for this band has been waived in light of the statutory return of the spectrum in about a decade. Previously, the FCC approved the manufacturing and importation of 25 kHz-capable gear for T-Band use, and the public notice indicates that the reasoning for that ruling “applies equally in the certification context.”

Cummins invests in ReliOn

Fuel-cell power provider ReliOnrecently announced that Cummins — a corporation with multiple engine-related businesses — has made a strategic investment in ReliOn and will join ReliOn’s board of directors.

“Cummins is a global leader in power generation and, as such, will be an excellent partner to work with ReliOn as we continue our global market expansion,” ReliOn CEO Gary Flood said in a statement. “Additionally, Cummins will use its broad capabilities in engineering and manufacturing to accelerate ReliOn’s efforts to drive costs down and increase the distribution reach of our fuel-cell products around the world.”