https://urgentcomm.com/wp-content/themes/ucm_child/assets/images/logo/footer-new-logo.png
  • Home
  • News
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
    • Galleries
    • IWCE’s Video Showcase
    • IWCE 2022 Winter Showcase
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
  • 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
    • Cookie Policy
  • Related Sites
    • Back
    • American City & County
    • IWCE
    • Light Reading
    • IOT World Today
    • Mission Critical Technologies
    • 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
    • IWCE 2023 Pre-event Guide
    • IWCE 2022 Winter 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
    • Cookie Policy
    • Terms of Service
    • Privacy Statement
  • 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

Urgent Matters


Commentary

Comprehensive discussions needed in several key areas as communications-industry evolution accelerates

Comprehensive discussions needed in several key areas as communications-industry evolution accelerates

  • Written by Donny Jackson
  • 28th July 2016

It wasn’t a long passage, and it probably was overlooked by most who watched the FCC recently pass rules associated with spectrum above 27 GHz that is expected to be critical to the deployment of 5G wireless technology in the United States. But FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel started what hopefully becomes a much more detailed discussion on an important subject: in-building wireless coverage.

“We need to look at the in-building equation,” Rosenworcel said. “I think the time has come for the broadband and wireless equivalent of LEED certification. Because the market should reward buildings that have dense networks of small cells and fiber backhaul needed for 5G service.

“New York City already has a similar program in place thanks to the efforts of Mayor [Michael] Bloomberg—who started a program to identify buildings with truly high-speed broadband. We need to build on this idea and extend it to communities across the country. Because as we all know about the Big Apple, if you can make it there, you can make it anywhere.”

This in-building topic is critical, because all signs point to the demise of landline telephone services. I frankly doubt that my 17-year-old son or any of his friends will ever pay to subscribe to a landline phone, even when they have families of their own; they would rather have the convenience and mobility of a cellular-based smartphone.

But they likely will need reliable connectivity, particularly during those unfortunate times when a call to 911 is necessary. The FCC has passed rules designed to improve the accuracy of location information delivered to public-safety answering points (PSAPs) when a 911 call is made from a wireless device, but the reliability of the fundamental connection can vary widely, depending on the carrier used and the building the caller is in when making the emergency call.

Meanwhile, when responders are dispatched to the location of an indoor incident, the coverage provided for public-safety devices—LMR today and potentially LTE in the future—can be unpredictable in many facilities. This needs to change, especially with the installation of energy-efficient windows making it more difficult for radio signals from outdoor towers to penetrate a building.

Even if a radio signal can be transmitted effectively indoors, the reliability of the connection can be degraded by RF jammers and cyberattacks. The FCC has rules against jamming, but it is not equipped to enforce them in an efficient or effective manner.

Cyberattacks are on the rise, and no one seems to be immune to them—both the private and public sectors have proven to be vulnerable. Not only do answers seem elusive, it is not clear which entities are responsible when breaches happen.

The FCC tried to include language about cybersecurity in its recent tech-transition order, but there are serious questions whether the agency has the expertise or the legal authority to really do much. The White House this week outlined how responses to cyberattacks should be coordinated, but something this important ideally would be developed on a more comprehensive basis, not as a presidential directive.

As complicated as these matters are, they pale in comparison to the tangled webs associated with expected explosion of solutions associated with drones, autonomous vehicles and the Internet of Things (IoT). No one wants regulations to put a damper on these burgeoning industries, but the reality that current governmental structures simply are equipped to handle the many nuanced policies that should address areas like cybersecurity, communications and airspace for these technologies that are very promising—but potentially dangerous, if things go wrong.

These innovations are coming, whether we are ready or not. After the November elections, leaders at all levels need to prioritize ensuring that we become ready. If successful, the economic and convenience benefits should be enormous. If this is not done, the potential for chaos and tragic situations—not to mention missed economic opportunities–could be significant.

Tags: Commentary Policy Urgent Matters Commentary

Most Recent


  • Microsoft Outlook vulnerability could be 2023's 'It' bug
    Microsoft recently patched a zero-day vulnerability under active exploit in Microsoft Outlook, identified as CVE-2023-23397, which could enable an attacker to perform a privilege escalation, accessing the victim’s Net-NTLMv2 challenge-response authentication hash and impersonating the user. Now it’s becoming clear that CVE-2023-23397 is dangerous enough to become the most far-reaching bug of the year, security researchers are […]
  • State and local leaders can alleviate the burden on public-safety personnel by tackling three workforce trends
    Government officials and public safety leaders wear many different hats. They serve as sounding boards for constituent complaints and for new ideas that need vetting. They are change agents charged with improving the lives of citizens and colleagues and are tasked with keeping order. Their most daunting responsibility, however, is keeping members of their community […]
  • Telcos need to build businesses, as well as networks
    Telcos are over-invested in 5G in every sense of the phrase. The latest mobile generation has fallen well short of expectations, as recent numbers from analyst firm MTN Consulting attest. Total operator revenue actually declined in the second and third quarters last year, largely as a result of weak service revenues, MTN found. In Q3, for […]
  • Get ready for the summer of spectrum squabbling
    Last week, for the first time ever, Congress allowed the FCC’s spectrum auction authority to lapse – a development that prevents the agency from auctioning more spectrum to 5G network operators. At roughly the same time last week, President Joe Biden’s Democratic nominee to the FCC, Gigi Sohn, abruptly withdrew from contention without any clear replacement. That leaves the […]

Related Content

Commentary


Updated: How ‘sidelink’ peer-to-peer communications can enhance public-safety operations

  • 1
27th February 2023

NG911 needed to secure our communities and nation

24th February 2023

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient

26th January 2023
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


UrgentComm

Microsoft Outlook vulnerability could be 2023’s ‘It’ bug dlvr.it/SlC3Hh

20th March 2023
UrgentComm

Zipline delivery drone docks, charges by itself dlvr.it/SlBNWy

20th March 2023
UrgentComm

State and local leaders can alleviate the burden on public-safety personnel by tackling three workforce trends dlvr.it/SlBH89

20th March 2023
UrgentComm

6G is shaping up to disappoint, and the industry can blame itself dlvr.it/Sl918J

20th March 2023
UrgentComm

Change is coming to the network detection and response (NDR) market dlvr.it/Sl4cts

18th March 2023

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
  • TU-Auto

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us
  • Events
  • Careers

FOLLOW Urgent Comms ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2023 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.