Rivada Networks: Chris Moore talks about IWCE demo of “answer to the business model for FirstNet” 10th March 2015 Chris Moore, senior vice president, discusses the company’s demonstrations during next week’s IWCE 2015 show of its dynamic-spectrum-arbitrage technology, which he says “really is the answer to the business model for FirstNet.”
News FirstNet board initiates public-notice proceeding on relationship with ‘opt-out’ states 9th March 2015 FirstNet board members approve a public notice that seeks input on FirstNet’s relationship with states and territories that choose the “opt-out” option, including how revenues generated by opt-out states can be used. Policies associated with these topics could have a significant impact on FirstNet’s efforts to establish a business model that ensures long-term sustainability, according to FirstNet Chairwoman Sue Swenson.
iCERT: Bill Schrier discusses cybersecurity issues for 911, FirstNet 9th March 2015 Bill Schrier, the FirstNet single point of contact for the state of Washington and former CTO for the city of Seattle, outlines some of key topics addressed during last week’s cybersecurity forum hosted by the Industry Council for Emergency-Response Technologies (iCERT).
Commentary Arizona outage highlights need for strong network design, monitoring capability in critical communications 5th March 2015 When a single conduit housing multiple fiber lines was cut last week, much of northern Arizona was unable to access the Internet, call 911, use cellular devices, pay with credit cards or get cash from ATMs for about 15 hours, according to multiple news reports. The episode should serve as a reminder of the necessity for reliability and diversity characteristics in critical networks that cannot afford downtime.
News FirstNet board to conduct special meeting, Swenson to testify before Congress next week 4th March 2015 FirstNet board members will consider issuing a second public notice on key policy questions during a special board meeting on Monday, and FirstNet Chairwoman Sue Swenson is slated to testify next Wednesday as part of the Senate Commerce Committee’s first oversight hearing about the three-year-old organization.
Commentary How to make multi-agency collaboration a reality in a FirstNet world 3rd March 2015 A fundamental goal of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) is to enable multimedia communication and collaboration between all first-responder agencies, which is a challenging task. The good news is that numerous advanced technologies are available today to help deliver on the promise of secure, seamless multi-agency collaboration.
News NXT-ID seeks patent for voice-authentication technology for making payments, other potential uses 26th February 2015 Authentication-solutions provider NXT-ID announces that it has filed a provisional patent for a system that leverages voice-recognition technology to ensure a secure and convenient method for making payments. The same approach can be used to authenticate secure user access to networks and databases, according to a company official.
NISC: Charles Werner discusses key outcomes from the recent DisasterTech hackathon 26th February 2015 Charles Werner, National Information Sharing Consortium (NISC) chairman and fire chief for Charlottesville, Va., discusses the value of hackathons to public safety, as well as some of the applications developed at the recent hackathon conducted in conjunction with the International Disaster Conference & Expo (IDCE) in New Orleans.
Commentary Three years after its creation, it is time for FirstNet to begin making key decisions 24th February 2015 Three years after being established by Congress, FirstNet has not made as much deployment progress as many public-safety and industry officials had hoped. However, most of the main components appear to be in place, so 2015 should see the FirstNet board make key decisions about the much-anticipated nationwide broadband network for first responders.
News FirstNet promises ‘profound change’ for EMS, official says 22nd February 2015 High-speed connectivity via FirstNet will let emergency-medical-service (EMS) personnel access and deliver information in a manner timely enough to save lives more often than today, according to FirstNet board member and EMS practitioner Kevin McGinnis.
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