Commentary

COVID-19 pandemic is causing unprecedented challenges for ECCs, 911 centers

We’re living in brave and unsettling times created by a global pandemic that has changed nearly all of our societal and operational norms in just a few weeks. No one and no business has gone untouched. What was unimaginable 30 days ago is all there is to read about today. What’s also getting a lot […]

Partner content

Coronavirus is a wake-up call. Are you listening?

The ancient philosopher Heraclitus once opined that the only constant in life is change. But there is another one that impacts every city and county organization and the officials who manage them—sooner or later a natural or man-made event is going to wreak havoc with your organization’s operations. In some cases those operations will come […]

Partner content

Verizon, AT&T withdraw from smart-city efforts

Verizon and AT&T no longer have high-profile executives dedicated to smart city operations. And both have largely folded their smart city efforts into other business units. Specifically, Verizon’s VP of Smart Communities, Mrinalini (Lani) Ingram, left the company in September, and Verizon’s smart city efforts have been moved under Maggie Hallbach, head of Verizon’s Public Sector […]

Commentary

3 tips for mitigating the ransomware threat to government offices

In 2019, more than 140 local governments, hospitals, and police stations fell victim to malicious ransomware attacks. Various cities across Louisiana, Texas, and Florida are among many that have appeared in the headlines. This particularly malicious type of cybercrime has become a global issue whose reach and impact continue to grow. Recent reports claim ransomware damages could […]

Partner content

In a new data decade, constituent experience reigns

Over the years, humans have predicted fantastical feats would be achieved by 2020, from robot servants to public space travel. Now that 2020 is here, some of the accomplishments are different—but still grand. In the decade ahead, transformational technologies that better meet constituent needs will define the missions of local government leaders. Advancements in 5G, […]

Commentary

Real-Time Situational Awareness: Today’s Holy Grail

So, I have heard this expression before, but what does it really mean? Holy Grail: something that you want very much but that is very hard to get or achieve. Well, that seems about right, as “real-time situational awareness” or a “common operating picture” are goals that are often bandied about in public-safety and emergency-management […]

Commentary

Vehicle routers serving as tip of the 5G spear for public safety

Super Bowl television advertisements remain a staple of the American zeitgeist. Not surprisingly, Super Bowl LIV brought viewers a tempting glimpse of what 5G promises in the way of improved first-responder operations. Verizon Wireless advertisements showcased the company’s commitment to first responders, and they also put a spotlight on its technology expertise. The gauzy peek […]

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How California public agencies can reform pension benefits

In 2011, after the Great Recession left California Public Employees’ Retirement System (CalPERS) only 61 percent funded, the Little Hoover Commission gave a dire warning: “California’s pension plans are dangerously underfunded, the result of overly generous benefit promises, wishful thinking and an unwillingness to plan prudently. Unless aggressive reforms are implemented now, the problem will […]

News

2020 is the year when vertical location becomes a reality for public safety

Last spring, we outlined how 3D location can increase situational awareness and improve operational efficiency for public safety responders. At the time, this was a somewhat hypothetical scenario as 3D location technology had been proven but not yet implemented. Since then 3D location capability has been available to application developers through an over-the-top capability. ‘Over […]

Commentary

T-Mobile proposal of free 5G for public safety is a great idea, but there are a lot of caveats

T-Mobile’s announcement of a potential Connecting Heroes program that would give public safety access to free broadband talk, text and smartphone data over its 5G network for 10 years has raised a lot of eyebrows in the first-responder community. There is little doubt that “free” is an attractive feature in any offer to budget-conscious public-safety […]

Commentary

Commentary

COVID-19 pandemic is causing unprecedented challenges for ECCs, 911 centers

Partner content

Coronavirus is a wake-up call. Are you listening?

Partner content

Verizon, AT&T withdraw from smart-city efforts

Commentary

3 tips for mitigating the ransomware threat to government offices

Partner content

In a new data decade, constituent experience reigns

Commentary

Real-Time Situational Awareness: Today’s Holy Grail

Commentary

Vehicle routers serving as tip of the 5G spear for public safety

Partner content

How California public agencies can reform pension benefits

News

2020 is the year when vertical location becomes a reality for public safety

Commentary

T-Mobile proposal of free 5G for public safety is a great idea, but there are a lot of caveats

Commentary

Ransomware? Let’s call it what it really is: extortionware

Redefining communications for today’s mobile workforces

Hi-tech sewer can help safeguard public health, environment and economies

Events

UC Ezines

IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

Twitter

How SolarWinds busted up our assumptions about code signing dlvr.it/Rv25kB

Senate American Rescue plan calls for more than $60 million in direct aid for counties dlvr.it/Rv1wGF

NTIA seeks potential new FirstNet Authority board members dlvr.it/Rv0YfL

Smart-building projects target energy efficiency as launchpad to health and safety dlvr.it/RtyhRY

ESN official hints at potentially costly new timeline for UK public-safety broadband project dlvr.it/Rttvzj

Ericsson, Huawei, AT&T attending Mobile World Congress in June, others not so sure dlvr.it/RtrtT2

Newscan: Klobuchar calls on Congress to get serious on tech reform dlvr.it/RtqByn

The era of converged network infrastructure has officially begun dlvr.it/Rtmq62