NTIA/FirstNet

NTIA releases second phase of planning grants as FirstNet identifies data for states to collect

• 24th March 2015

States and territories can use $58 million in planning grants from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to gather data in their jurisdictions regarding their first responders’ needs for coverage, capacity and other key functionalities from FirstNet’s nationwide public-safety broadband network, NTIA and FirstNet announce.

FirstNet should not rely on state and local governments as key network-infrastructure partners, Mirgon says

• 24th March 2015

State and local governments are not reliable enough to be major infrastructure partners for the nationwide public-safety broadband network being built by FirstNet, according to Richard Mirgon, a consultant and former president of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO).

Firefighters’ union claims of RF dangers jeopardizes LA-RICS public-safety LTE project

• 23rd March 2015

Complaints from a firefighters union that radio-frequency (RF) emissions from LTE sites being installed at several Los Angeles-area fire stations are a health hazard could derail the regional public-safety LTE system, according to an official with the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS), which is building the network.

LA-RICS has reduced the number of LTE sites in its planned deployment from 232 to 177, according to LA-RICS Executive Director Pat Mallon.

Rivada Networks: Peter Tenerelli explains proposal to let FirstNet generate revenue from excess capacity on its LTE network

• 20th March 2015

Peter Tenerelli, director of technology adoption for Rivada Networks, describes how the company’s dynamic-spectrum-arbitrage (DSA) technology and associated auction market would let commercial operators bid for excess capacity on the FirstNet system, which can generate revenue that ultimately will lower the fees that public-safety entities would pay to use the dedicated LTE network.

Rivada Networks: Peter Tenerelli explains proposal to ensure public-safety prioritization, preemption on a shared FirstNet system

• 18th March 2015

Peter Tenerelli, director of technology adoption for Rivada Networks, describes how the company’s dynamic-spectrum-arbitrage (DSA) technology could be used ensure that public-safety personnel have immediate access to any capacity on the FirstNet broadband network when needed but also support revenue-generating commercial users most of the time.

Rivada Networks: Peter Tenerelli, explains proposal to ensure public-safety prioritization, preemption on shared FirstNet system

• 18th March 2015

Peter Tenerelli, director of technology adoption for Rivada Networks, describes how the company’s dynamic-spectrum-arbitrage (DSA) technology could be used ensure that public-safety personnel have immediate access to any capacity on the FirstNet broadband network when needed but also support revenue-generating commercial users most of the time.

FirstNet’s role as spectrum licensee critical as states consider opt-out alternative

• 18th March 2015

FirstNet’s relationship with opt-out states or territories is explored in a public notice released last week. It includes a lot of legal detail, but interested parties should remember the fundamentals associated with FirstNet’s role as the spectrum licensee.

FirstNet: Ed Parkinson highlights FirstNet-oriented sessions at IWCE 2015, networking opportunities

• 18th March 2015

Ed Parkinson, FirstNet’s director of governmental affairs, outlines some intriguing sessions associated with FirstNet at IWCE 2015.

FirstNet: TJ Kennedy talks about FirstNet’s upcoming schedule, plans for IWCE 2015

• 18th March 2015

FirstNet Acting Executive Director TJ Kennedy outlines FirstNet’s busy upcoming schedule and discusses what he hopes to learn this week while attending IWCE 2015. On Wednesday, Kennedy will deliver a keynote address at 12:30 p.m. at the show.

Misconceptions about FirstNet could lead to some early disappointment, panelist says

• 17th March 2015

Initial state-consultation meetings have revealed a wide variety of perceptions at multiple levels about what FirstNet should be, so managing expectations promise to be a challenge during the early days of the much-anticipated public-safety broadband network, according to a panelist at IWCE 2015.