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

Next steps

Next steps

  • Written by raidee
  • 1st October 2018

For longtime public-safety officials, news of the D Block legislation being passed elicited some emotional responses.
“It’s a big, big deal,” McEwen said. “The D Block allocation was the main thrust of our efforts, because we needed more than 10 MHz to take advantage of new technology like LTE to deliver the kind of mobile experience to public safety that we need.”

Robert LeGrande, a consultant who oversaw the deployment of the first public-safety broadband project while serving as chief technology officer for Washington, D.C., echoed this sentiment.

“It’s been a long, long, long time — since 2003, when we first started talking about this,” he said. “I’m so proud of our leadership, administration and Congress for finding a way to get this done — it was not easy. It was a long, arduous process, but I am proud of the effort.”

With the D Block, public safety has 20 MHz of contiguous broadband spectrum, which is considered ideal in the LTE world to efficiently provide the high-speed throughput needed to enable bandwidth-intensive data applications, images and real-time video.

However, while $7 billion in federal funding is an unprecedented figure for public safety, it is not enough to pay for a nationwide LTE deployment by itself. Rockefeller acknowledged that the funding level is not as high as he would like, but it is a significant step in the right direction.

“When you put $7 billion into a buildout of something of this nature, the public — if not the whole country — instantly and absolutely understands what is going on, so you can’t stop it,” Rockefeller said during a press conference. “The point was to start it to the extent that you couldn’t stop it. And we did that.”

One way public safety hopes to maximize the existing funding and to minimize the need for additional federal dollars is to seek partnerships with other potential users. Language in the new law appears to allow such deals to occur, and they will be needed to get the job done, McEwen said.

Several governmental entities already have indicated that they would like to provide their entire governmental enterprises — not just traditional public-safety personnel — access to the new LTE network to enhance interoperability and streamline networking responsibilities. In addition, there have been increased discussions recently between other critical-infrastructure entities to allow them to access the proposed network to support important initiatives such as the smart grid and intelligent transportation systems.

While not traditionally considered to be part of public safety, the ability to communicate reliably with these critical-infrastructure entities often is vital to being able to respond effectively to an emergency situation, whether that situation calls for the evacuation of nearby residents or determining whether a utility can provide power to a critical location, Mirgon said.

Indeed, it is frustrating that critical-infrastructure entities such as utilities are not treated more like first responders at key junctures, Mirgon said.

“A number of times, I have been out at a major gas-line break. You’ve rolled out [public safety], this gas line is spewing natural gas, you’re evacuating people, you call dispatch and say, ‘We need the gas company. Would you call them?’ The phone’s busy, because they’re getting calls from other people. When you finally get them … the gas company says it will be there in 45 minutes, because it’s on the other side of town. Meanwhile, this thing could still blow up.

“Now, I ran Code 3 through red lights and stop signs and around traffic to protect people. The fire department did the same thing to protect people. But the one guy who can shut it off is stopped at the red light with no traffic around. I get the fact that they’re not first responders, but it’s also kind of absurd that the people who can fix the problem aren’t treated like first responders in those very unique scenarios.”

Being part of the public-safety nationwide network could help alleviate the communications issues, which have been underlined during the nuclear power-plant threat in Japan and by the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico. Moreover, both Mirgon and McEwen noted that such partners can bring other assets — rights of way, fiber for backhaul and additional funding — that could make the network more reliable, robust and economical.

By almost all accounts, the process of pushing Congress to pass legislation regarding the D Block and LTE network funding demonstrated that the communication within the upper echelons of public safety never has been greater.

“I’ve been involved in public safety since the ’60s, and I’ve been in rooms where police chiefs and fire chiefs won’t talk to each other,” mobile wireless consultant Andrew Seybold said. “All of that has gone by the wayside for the common good.”

Whether the PSA will continue to exist now that the D Block legislation has passed is being discussed — as of press time, McEwen said it is too early to tell what the fate of the coalition will be. Regardless what happens with the PSA, Werner said that he is hopeful public-safety officials will maintain the relationship established during this process.

“There are so many things we have yet to do, and we’ve learned that our influence is exponential when we’re together,” Werner said. “I think you’re going to see a continuation of this along other efforts. It may not be as intense, and it may be focused on specific things, but I think the relationships have forged in different ways.

“I think one of the unintended positive consequences is that it created a unity in public safety that we have never seen before.”

Tags:

Related Content

  • Are ransomware attacks the new pandemic?
  • Robot-bus trial succeeds ... mostly
  • NENA does not oppose $15 billion NG911 proposal, but wants language ‘corrected,’ CEO says
  • Cars, Medicine, Electric Grids: Future hackers will hit much more than networks in an IT/OT integrated world

Commentary


Better technology can help solve the public-safety staffing crisis

26th June 2023

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
view all

Events


UC Ezines


IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

13th May 2019
view all

Twitter


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.