Public-Safety Broadband/FirstNet

News

FirstNet reopens spectrum-lease talks with New Jersey, Adams County

It also extends similar negotiations with the state of Mississippi and Motorola Solutons to Nov. 15; all four entities were Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) grant recipients. Chairman Sam Ginn said the BTOP projects would provide “an early test of the kind of issues” that FirstNet might face in building a nationwide broadband communications network for first responders.

News

FirstNet’s Ginn asks Inspector General to complete Fitzgerald investigation

FirstNet Chairman Sam Ginn will ask the U.S. Department of Commerce (DoC) Inspector General to investigate claims made by FirstNet board member Paul Fitzgerald regarding alleged improprieties associated with ethics and procurement, instead of having an internal special review committee do the work

Article

U.S. government fights release of Fitzgerald e-mails about FirstNet

U.S. Department of Justice–representing FirstNet–has until mid-November to respond to a Story County, Iowa, filing. Story County has asked a federal court to lift a preliminary injunction blocking the public release of e-mail sent and received by FirstNet board member Paul Fitzgerald, the county’s sheriff, using his work e-mail account.

News

FirstNet reschedules meeting for Friday

Last week’s scheduled meeting was canceled due to the federal government shutdown; Friday’s teleconference is scheduled to begin at 11 a.m. ET.

Commentary

The readers always write: Managing FirstNet expectations

As tempting as it may be for FirstNet haters to complain, it is important that the public-safety community be patient and maintain an open mind until the network design and financial model have been chosen.

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 reopens spectrum-lease talks with New Jersey, Adams County

News

FirstNet’s Ginn asks Inspector General to complete Fitzgerald investigation

Article

U.S. government fights release of Fitzgerald e-mails about FirstNet

News

FirstNet reschedules meeting for Friday

Commentary

The readers always write: Managing FirstNet expectations

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

Commentary

How 5G is making cities safer, smarter, and more efficient

3GPP moves Release 18 freeze date to March 2024

Do smart cities make safer cities?

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