This post contains brief descriptions and links to various public safety and/or broadband groups involved in building out a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network.

• FCC Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau
  • Ensuring public safety and homeland security by advancing state-of-the-art communications that are accessible, reliable, resilient, and secure, in coordination with public and private partners.
• FCC Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC)
  • ERIC will adopt, implement, and coordinate interoperability regulations, license requirements, grant conditions and technical standards. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), the Department of Justice (DOJ), and the Department of Commerce (DOC) will contribute to ERIC’s functions.
• FCC ERIC Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC)
  • The PSAC is a Federal Advisory Committee that will provide recommendations to assist the Commission and the Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) in implementing policy objectives.
• NIST/OLES Public Safety Communications Research Program (PSCR)
  • PSCR laboratories provide research, development, testing, and evaluation to foster nationwide communications interoperability. Drawing on critical requirements provided by public safety practitioners, the PSCR program provides insight to wireline and wireless standards committees developing standards for voice, data, image, and video communications.
• Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications
  • The mission of the Office of Emergency Communications (OEC) is to support and promote the ability of emergency responders and government officials to continue to communicate in the event of natural disasters, acts of terrorism, or other man-made disasters, and work to ensure, accelerate, and attain interoperable and operable emergency communications nationwide.
• Department of Homeland Security SAFECOM
  • Through collaboration with emergency responders and policymakers across all levels of government, SAFECOM works to improve multi-jurisdictional and intergovernmental communications interoperability.  The SAFECOM Executive Committee (EC) and SAFECOM Emergency Response Council (ERC) work with existing Federal communications programs and key emergency response stakeholders to address the need to develop better technologies and processes for the multi-jurisdictional and cross-disciplinary coordination of existing communications systems and future networks.
• Department of Homeland Security Office for Interoperability and  Compatibility
  • The Office for Interoperability and Compatibility strengthens interoperable wireless communications and improves effective information sharing by developing tools—such as standards, reports, and guidelines—and technologies to enhance overall planning and coordination at all levels of government.
• White House Office of Science and Technology Policy
  • National Science and Technology Charter
• National Public Safety Telecommunications Council
  • NPSTC is a federation of organizations whose mission is to improve public safety communications and interoperability through collaborative leadership.
• Public Safety Spectrum Trust
  • The Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corporation (PSST) is a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity organized under the laws of the District of Columbia. The PSST has been selected by the FCC as the Public Safety Broadband Licensee (PSBL) for the 10 MHz of 700 MHz public safety nationwide broadband spectrum. The PSST’s mission is to provide an organizational structure through which decisions of national public safety leadership can guide the construction and operation of an interoperable nationwide public safety-grade wireless broadband network. It is envisioned that the network will be built and maintained by private commercial partners identified as the winner(s) of an FCC-conducted 700 MHz D Block auction, or if there is no auction and the D Block is assigned to the PSBL, commercial partners identified through a PSST-conducted Request For Proposal (RFP) process.
• Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO)
  • APCO International is the world’s largest organization of public safety communications professionals. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide — and the welfare of the general public as a whole — by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.