Trending NOW in Broadband Four topics are trending now in broadband. At the April 23rd FirstNet board meeting, board member Paul Fitzgerald accused the board of being hijacked by members with commercial wireless backgrounds, excluding the Public Safety Advisory Council (PSAC) from key decisions, and a lack of transparency. Addressing Fitzgerald’s allegations, the FirstNet board … Continue reading
Obama wants to elevate lineman to first responder status In a recent meeting with utility workers President Obama reiterated his desire to designate utility workers as first responders. The belief is that designating utility workers, as first responders would remove barriers that prevent them from reaching the source of power problems. The meeting also covered … Continue reading
FirstNet appoints special review committee to investigate its practices In a special teleconference on May 8, FirstNet board Chairman Sam Ginn announced a new special review committee. The committee’s job will be to investigate the alleged improprieties and questionable deals that board member Paul Fitzgerald has accused the FirstNet board of making. The independence of … Continue reading
FCC looks for feedback on nationwide public safety broadband network The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is seeking public comment on the national public safety broadband network (NPSBN). The FCC is seeking comments in three areas: technical service rules for the new NPSBN, FCC’s responsibilities related to the oversight of FirstNet’s operations, and ways to address … Continue reading
Obama calls FCC pick ‘the Bo Jackson of telecom’ President Obama has announced he will nominate Tom Wheeler as the next chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC). Some have criticized Wheeler’s past experience as a lobbyist, but White House press secretary Jay Carney defended Wheeler noting that he worked for the wireless industry a … Continue reading
APCO Launches Public-Safety App Website (Mission Critical) In February the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) announced their intention to serve as a clearinghouse for public safety applications. Today APCO has launched Application Community (AppComm) a new website for public safety related apps for use by the public, developers, and first responders. APCO intends to work … Continue reading
FCC budget allocates $500M for broadcasters, but disagreements remain (Fierce Wireless) President Obama’s latest budget proposal sets aside $500M for the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to assist broadcasters modify their infrastructure to be prepared for the upcoming incentive auctions. These auctions will repurpose broadcast spectrum for wireless broadband use. The revenue from these auctions will fund … Continue reading
I read a fascinating article that spurred my thinking about the revolution that ubiquitous broadband services will bring to public safety. The article from the New York Times highlights a wearable camera some police departments are requiring officers to turn on when getting out of their patrol cars to interact with citizens. It loads those … Continue reading
FirstNet Chairman Sam Ginn recently testified at an Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology hearing entitled “ Oversight of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and Emergency Communications” (Subcommittee Examines Status of FirstNet and Emergency Communications). Ginn acknowledged the significance of FirstNet’s endeavor noting no network of this kind has ever been created. … Continue reading
Dish offers $25.5 billion for Sprint (The Hill) In an attempt to top the offer made from Japanese cellphone carrier Softbank, Dish Network has offered to buy Sprint for $25.5B. The proposal is said to be $17.3B in cash and $8.2B in stock, which is a 13% premium on Softbank’s offer. Sprint has said they … Continue reading
