News FCC dedicates spectrum for medical body monitoring (with related video) 24th May 2012 Rules that will enable medical body-area networks (MBANs) to operate on 2360–2400 MHz spectrum.
News FCC names PSHSB chief; will create PSAP do-not-call list 22nd May 2012 David Turetsky succeeds Jamie Barnett, begins work next week.
Article Power struggle 1st May 2012 Public safety is allowed to partner with utilities on its nationwide broadband network, but such partners only are allowed to access the network on a secondary basis. Exactly what “secondary” means is the critical question.
Commentary T-Band waivers lead to more questions 1st May 2012 The FCC issued a waiver from its Jan. 13, 2013, VHF/UHF narrowbanding deadline for T-Band (470–512 MHz) licensees. The waiver applies to both public safety and business/industrial licensees in the T-Band and offers relief for radio manufacturers.
News New alerting system to be launched on Saturday (with related video) 5th April 2012 Text-based alerts of significant, imminent danger will be able to be sent to most mobile-phone users in a hazardous location in the U.S. beginning Saturday, when the new commercial mobile alert system (CMAS) is scheduled to become operational.
Commentary Avoid getting into a box 1st April 2012 Because some users perhaps are not properly installing trunked systems — therefore causing significant interference — this is a good time to review the FCC’s rules on VHF/UHF trunking.
News FCC announces appointments to broadband interoperability board 27th March 2012 As mandated by a new law designed to enable the buildout of a nationwide public-safety broadband network operating on 700 MHz spectrum, the FCC announced its appointments to the 15-member technical advisory board for first-responder interoperability.
NTIA official provides timelines for nationwide broadband network 20th March 2012 NTIA has until Aug. 20 to establish the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), the 15-member board that will make policy decisions regarding the public-safety broadband network.
Industry points to multiple warning signs about narrowbanding 22nd February 2012 Last year, the FCC indicated that 225,000 licensees needed to narrowband their systems, but only about 20% of those have completed the task, according to Peter Moncure, CEO of RadioSoft.
News FCC ruling aids trunked system operators 26th January 2012 The FCC’s recent decision to permit the use of two 6.25 kHz channels utilizing the NXDN 4 kHz emission mask within a single 12.5 kHz channel not only offers greater spectrum efficiency to licensees operating trunked systems in the UHF band (from 450 MHz to 470 MHz), it also greatly simplifies the narrowbanding process, according to Ralph Haller, chairman of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council.
Is LMR the best solution for first responders? Should 4.9 GHz license go to the FirstNet Authority? 24th March 2024
FirstNet Authority reauthorization needed as public-safety-driven network evolution proceeds 16th March 2024