Outreach News - 1/5/2011

1. The Fiscal Year 2011 SAFECOM Guidance on Emergency Communications Grants has been posted to the SAFECOM website (http://www.safecomprogram.gov/SAFECOM/library/grant/1638_fy2011.htm) for use by grantees in drafting their 2011 applications. Like its predecessors, this document provides guidance on eligible emergency communications activities and equipment standards. Unlike its predecessors, this year’s SAFECOM Guidance is directed toward grantees, including State, local and tribal recipients.

Here are some other key ways the SAFECOM Guidance has changed for FY 2011:

Grantees are encouraged to allocate grant funds to plan and implement activities that will ensure compliance with the FCC narrowband mandate by the January 1, 2013, deadline. With the increase in Federal funding for broadband and next-generation technologies available through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009, next-generation activities to existing cost categories have been added, as well as new standards for broadband and next-generation technologies. Updates have been made to the Project 25 (P25) standard, to provide basic information and additional resources for grantees on the suite of standards for digital radio communications. Since many Federal grants require grantees to submit a system life cycle plan with grant applications, a sample life cycle plan for grantees is included in Appendix A.

State, local, and tribal stakeholders, should use the SAFECOM Guidance when developing emergency communications investments.

2. FCC ANNOUNCES TENTATIVE AGENDA FOR JANUARY 25TH OPEN MEETING.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-303929A1.doc
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-303929A1.pdf
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-303929A1.txt

3. The Commission’s Promoting More Efficient Use of Spectrum Through Dynamic Spectrum Proposed Rule has been placed in the Federal Register. Please see attached.