Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet

News

FirstNet cancels meeting but is still open for business

While the federal government shutdown is forcing FirstNet to be “very cost-conscious,” staff still is working on the entity’s various missions–including the selection of staff to meet with the individual states and territories–says TJ Kennedy, FirstNet’s deputy general manager.

Commentary

Listen up—Morgan O’Brien tosses out his latest fantastical notion

Morgan O’Brien–co-founder of Nextel Communications and the first to propose a nationwide broadband network for public safety–says the private-radio industry also needs to migrate to broadband technologies like LTE to flourish.

News

Multipath Networks bonds Internet connections to deliver greater speeds, reliability

Ireland-based Multipath Networks this month is introducing its bandwidth-aggregation technology–used by first responders and enterprises in Europe–to U.S. consumers and enterprises. The solution is expected to be commercially available early next year.

News

Rockefeller aide says letter rebuking Motorola Solutions ‘stands on its own’

A committee aide for Sen. John “Jay” Rockefeller said the senator’s letter to Motorola Solutions “stands on its own” when asked if Rockefeller had any evidence other than media reports that the company was involved in any anti-FirstNet activities.

News

NTIA almost completes grant awards for FirstNet planning

Only the state of Louisiana still is waiting for its award to be announced. Initially, states will receive only 50% of their award–provided by the NTIA’s State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP)–which will be used to pay for first-phase activities, such as expanding existing governance entities to consult with FirstNet, conducting education and outreach to relevant stakeholders, and identifying potential public-safety users in their jurisdictions.

News

FirstNet special report: Fitzgerald’s openness, transparency claims incorrect

Special review committee—supported by a three-person team of attorneys from the U.S. Department of Commerce—finds that the FirstNet board of directors has engaged in open and transparent decision-making, and did not withhold information from some board members. Chairman Sam Ginn said it is important now that board members “begin to rebuild trust in one another.”

News

FirstNet committee postpones release of first report on Fitzgerald allegations

A draft of the report–which will address allegations that FirstNet board members have acted inappropriately–is completed, but special committee needs to “dot i’s and cross t’s,” says Wellington Webb, committee chairman.

News

NTIA releases grant money to six more states for FirstNet planning

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) last week released grant money to six states as part of the State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP), meaning 45 of the 55 states and territories have received their first-phase funding to plan for the nationwide broadband network for first responders being built by FirstNet.

News

FirstNet Deputy GM Kennedy discusses outreach, innovation

Priorities include establing a tool on the FirstNet website that will provide status updates and other pertinent information, as well as fostering innovation in public-safety applications. Meanwhile, Kennedy stressed that the nationwide broadband network will serve all first responders, not just those in big cities.

News

FirstNet names Casey as chief of staff

Will report to General Manager Bill D’Agostino and focus on project management and status reporting, drawing on previous experience as deputy superintendent of the Boston police department’s IT and telecommunication units.

News

FirstNet cancels meeting but is still open for business

Commentary

Listen up—Morgan O’Brien tosses out his latest fantastical notion

News

Multipath Networks bonds Internet connections to deliver greater speeds, reliability

News

Rockefeller aide says letter rebuking Motorola Solutions ‘stands on its own’

News

NTIA almost completes grant awards for FirstNet planning

News

FirstNet special report: Fitzgerald’s openness, transparency claims incorrect

News

FirstNet committee postpones release of first report on Fitzgerald allegations

News

NTIA releases grant money to six more states for FirstNet planning

News

FirstNet Deputy GM Kennedy discusses outreach, innovation

News

FirstNet names Casey as chief of staff

Commentary

LTE and liability: Why the fire service must move forward with digital incident command

Partnership and collaboration must be the foundation for emergency communications

FirstNet success means no hypothetical ‘shots’ need to be fired, Swenson says

Events

UC Ezines

IWCE 2019 Wrap Up

Twitter

FirstNet Authority provides update on CEO search dlvr.it/SWrRqg

FirstNet Authority board approves FY 2023 budget of $358 million dlvr.it/SWq9DW

Newscan: DHS tests new tech that could bring emergency alerts to vehicle screens dlvr.it/SWpYTv

Connectivity Made Simple for Emergency Response dlvr.it/SWpMJF

Intelsat, OneWeb team on in-flight connectivity dlvr.it/SWgYb2

Black Hat 2022: Adapting to the growing cyberthreat landscape dlvr.it/SWgF3Y

Diffusing the connected car’s ticking data-privacy timebomb dlvr.it/SWdCw2

Patch madness: Vendor bug advisories are broken, so broken dlvr.it/SWcvFR