https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • Commentary
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • All Things IWCE
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • IWCE
    • Conference
    • Special Events
    • Exhibitor Listings
    • Premier Partners
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Register for IWCE
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • Microwave/RF
    • T&D World
    • TU-Auto
  • In the field
    • Back
    • In the field
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Internet of Things
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Call Center/Command
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Network Tech
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Operations
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Regulations
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • Organizations
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
Urgent Communications
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Omdia Crit Comms Circle Podcast
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
  • Commentary
    • Back
    • All Things IWCE
    • Urgent Matters
    • View From The Top
    • Legal Matters
  • Resources
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • Reprints & Reuse
    • UC eZines
    • Sponsored content
  • IWCE
    • Back
    • Conference
    • Why Attend
    • Exhibitor Listing
    • Floor Plan
    • Exhibiting Information
    • Join the Event Mailing List
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
    • Cookies Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • TU-Auto
  • newsletter
  • In the field
    • Back
    • Internet of Things
    • Broadband Push-to-X
    • Project 25
    • Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet
    • Virtual/Augmented Reality
    • Land Mobile Radio
    • Long Term Evolution (LTE)
    • Applications
    • Drones/Robots
    • IoT/Smart X
    • Software
    • Subscriber Devices
    • Video
  • Call Center/Command
    • Back
    • Artificial Intelligence
    • NG911
    • Alerting Systems
    • Analytics
    • Dispatch/Call-taking
    • Incident Command/Situational Awareness
    • Tracking, Monitoring & Control
  • Network Tech
    • Back
    • Cybersecurity
    • Interoperability
    • LMR 100
    • LMR 200
    • Backhaul
    • Deployables
    • Power
    • Tower & Site
    • Wireless Networks
    • Coverage/Interference
    • Security
    • System Design
    • System Installation
    • System Operation
    • Test & Measurement
  • Operations
    • Back
    • Critical Infrastructure
    • Enterprise
    • Federal Government/Military
    • Public Safety
    • State & Local Government
    • Training
  • Regulations
    • Back
    • Narrowbanding
    • T-Band
    • Rebanding
    • TV White Spaces
    • None
    • Funding
    • Policy
    • Regional Coordination
    • Standards
  • Organizations
    • Back
    • AASHTO
    • APCO
    • DHS
    • DMR Association
    • ETA
    • EWA
    • FCC
    • IWCE
    • NASEMSO
    • NATE
    • NXDN Forum
    • NENA
    • NIST/PSCR
    • NPSTC
    • NTIA/FirstNet
    • P25 TIG
    • TETRA + CCA
    • UTC
acc.com

Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet


News

FirstNet Deputy GM Kennedy discusses outreach, innovation

FirstNet Deputy GM Kennedy discusses outreach, innovation

Priorities include establing a tool on the FirstNet website that will provide status updates and other pertinent information, as well as fostering innovation in public-safety applications. Meanwhile, Kennedy stressed that the nationwide broadband network will serve all first responders, not just those in big cities.
  • Written by
  • 12th September 2013

Public-safety communications veteran TJ Kennedy last month was hired to be FirstNet’s deputy general manager, a post that was attractive to him because of the broader mission to establish an interoperable, nationwide broadband network for first responders.

“Being a former police officer and firefighter, I know how important being able to have additional communications, having reliable and redundant broadband communications and having better information in the hands of police officers, firefighters and paramedics can be,” Kennedy said during an interview with Urgent Communications.

“For me, that’s why it’s so important. … At the end of the day, it’s to give those great tools to first responders in the field, so that police officers, firefighters and paramedics can be safer and do their jobs.”

In his new position, Kennedy supports FirstNet General Manager Bill D’Agostino in managing the organization and helping provide a public-safety perspective to the initiative. To this end, one of Kennedy’s primary tasks is to lead FirstNet’s outreach efforts, which previously was headed by FirstNet board member Jeff Johnson.

During the summer, FirstNet conducted six regional meetings with representatives from 55 of the 56 states and territories that will be covered by the broadband network, and individual meetings with the entities will be conducted as well, beginning this fall. To get the word out to local jurisdictions, FirstNet is participating in events run by a variety of first-responder associations, he said.

“It doesn’t matter which association it is; we’re trying to actively engage them,” Kennedy said. “It’s a great way to get to many cities, many counties, many police departments, many fire departments and many EMS agencies. That’s just another way for us to reach out to many different groups.

“We’re also doing that with some tribal associations, and we’re doing that with others. I think we’re trying to reach out in many cross and diverse ways that will help us reach the broad audience.”

In the meantime, there are things that local first-responder agencies can do to prepare for the day when FirstNet provides dedicated broadband service to their locations, Kennedy said.

“At the simplest level is look at what are ways that you could work in the future to make your operations safer or more effective by using broadband tools as they come online,” he said. “I think, in the very short term, working with your state points of contact and your communication leads to see how you can engage and share information across your department.

“As we move forward, we’re going to set up a tool on our website, so people can opt in to receive messages on status updates and information.”

And the FirstNet system is designed to serve all of public safety, not just personnel in the big cities, Kennedy emphasized.

“In Los Angeles and New York, there are departments that are using a lot of advanced tools in the field and using them over commercial cellular or commercial broadband today—or over their own networks, in some cases,” he said. “Those are pretty impressive—a great array of tablets, computers, handheld devices, applications and all sorts of wireless technology that helps improve public safety.

“I think you’ll see a lot more areas in the country that will now have access to some of that great capability that we’ve seen sometimes only in metro areas. We want to make sure that rural areas, suburban areas and urban areas all can benefit from that great innovation. That’s what I’m looking forward to.”

Kennedy said he was “pleased” with the equipment and solutions on display during the recent Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) show in Anaheim, Calif. One of the priorities for FirstNet is to help foster innovations within the applications space, he said.

“We’re continuing to encourage everyone—from young students through expert application developers—to continue to innovate in the public-safety arena,” Kennedy said. “One of the things we’re seeing is a great desire by all sorts of groups to be able to create applications that will make a difference to public safety.

“There are already people coming out with applications today—some of them in commercial marketplace, some of them in the public-safety marketplace. And we’re continuing to listen. When we go out and meet with public-safety agencies, we’re asking them what they want to see, and we’re trying to learn from that—that’s been terrific.”

Some of FirstNet’s core value proposition—reliable broadband connectivity and a nationwide footprint—should be attractive to applications developers, Kennedy said.

“I certainly think a more robust network is going to drive better innovation than some of the smaller-bandwidth apps than we’ve seen in the past,” he said. “I also think a much broader base of public-safety users is going to drive a much broader base of applications.”

Tags: Public Safety Regulation Long Term Evolution (LTE) News NTIA/FirstNet Policy Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet News

Most Recent


  • FirstNet Deputy GM Kennedy discusses outreach, innovation
    Newscan: Japanese carrier outage lasts multiple days
    Web Roundup Items from other news organizations KDDI network ‘almost restored’ as Japan assesses outage’s full impact Up to 39.15 million KDDI mobile lines affected during nationwide disruption Vendor outage affects state unemployment, job-seeking sites Supreme Court deals blow to net-neutrality fans How many satellites are too many? TSA implements ‘surge team’ to allow pipeline […]
  • Criminals use deepfake videos to interview for remote work
    Security experts are on the alert for the next evolution of social engineering in business settings: deepfake employment interviews. The latest trend offers a glimpse into the future arsenal of criminals who use convincing, faked personae against business users to steal data and commit fraud. The concern comes following a new advisory this week from the […]
  • Tesla recalls 59,000 vehicles over emergency-call software glitch
    A software glitch has prompted Germany’s automotive regulator to call for the recall of more than 59,000 Teslas. The country’s Kraftfahrt-Bundesamt (KBA) agency published a notice on its website notifying Model Y and Model 3 owners of a bug with the Emergency Call (eCall) safety system on the vehicles. Tesla describes eCall as a “call system that automatically contacts […]
  • Report: Reforming emergency dispatch won't be easy, but it's necessary
    Over the last several years, reforming law enforcement has been a primary topic of discussion in communities across the nation. Discourse has mostly centered around the challenges agencies face in addressing the complex needs of those in mental health crisis, and the disparity of experience among community members depending on their race. But in this […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

To leave a comment login with your Urgent Comms account:

Log in with your Urgent Comms account

Or alternatively provide your name, email address below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • FirstNet Deputy GM Kennedy discusses outreach, innovation
  • FirstNet Deputy GM Kennedy discusses outreach, innovation
  • FirstNet Deputy GM Kennedy discusses outreach, innovation
  • FirstNet Deputy GM Kennedy discusses outreach, innovation

Commentary


LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command

  • 2
6th May 2022

Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications

18th April 2022

FirstNet success means no hypothetical ‘shots’ need to be fired, Swenson says

22nd February 2022
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Newscan: Japanese carrier outage lasts multiple days dlvr.it/STS9JJ

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Criminals use deepfake videos to interview for remote work dlvr.it/STRjZM

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Tesla recalls 59,000 vehicles over emergency-call software glitch dlvr.it/STRcgT

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Report: Reforming emergency dispatch won’t be easy, but it’s necessary dlvr.it/STRYNP

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

FCC clears SpaceX to connect Starlink to boats, planes, other moving vehicles dlvr.it/STRXGB

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Judge orders Hytera to make large royalty payment this month to Motorola Solutions dlvr.it/STRRQc

6th July 2022
UrgentComm

Sesame Solar leverages mobile solar, hydrogen to power efforts beyond the grid dlvr.it/ST8m3K

1st July 2022
UrgentComm

Newscan: On front lines, communications breakdowns prove costly for Ukraine dlvr.it/ST7fnC

30th June 2022

Newsletter

Sign up for UrgentComm’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about Communications and Technology.

Expert Commentary

Learn from experts about the latest technology in automation, machine-learning, big data and cybersecurity.

Business Media

Find the latest videos and media from the market leaders.

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital and print audiences? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • American City & County
  • IWCE
  • Light Reading
  • IOT World Today
  • Mission Critical Technologies
  • Microwave/RF
  • T&D World
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X