Outreach News - 05/17/11

1. NPSTC concluded a great meeting at the Canadian Embassy where major discussions were held related to cross border interoperability as well as many other issues internal to American public safety communications. We are grateful for the close and outstanding relationship that we enjoy with our friends and neighbors to the north. The hospitality of the Embassy staff in Washington was outstanding. The slides from today’s meeting can be downloaded by going to http://www.npstc.org/meetings.jsp.

The meeting at the Canadian Embassy was a bit unusual as attendance requirements were tightened for obvious reasons. However, please note that NPSTC meetings are typically open to the public safety community and like all volunteer organizations, we welcome participation by first responders and related public safety industry personnel. In short, you are encouraged to attend most meetings as we want folk to learn much more about the important work performed by NPSTC volunteers. For your planning, information on the next NPSTC meeting is below. Accommodations for Orlando are typically quite reasonable and the meeting facility is right at the airport.

2. People often ask how others can receive copies of the NPSTC Outreach News. To subscribe, sign up for our participants listserv to receive general information and announcements, by sending an email request to:
NPSTC-PARTICIPANTS-subscribe@yahoogroups.com.

3. EMERGENCY ACCESS ADVISORY COMMITTEE; ANNOUNCEMENT OF JUNE 10, 2011 MEETING. (DA No. 11-882) The meeting will consider the written reports on the EAAC national survey of persons with disabilities and engage in a discussion of future features and technologies involved with Next Generation 911 emergency services for individuals with disabilities. CGB . Contact: Cheryl King at (202) 418-2284, email: Cheryl.King@fcc.gov or Patrick Donovan at (202) 418-2413, email: Patrick.Donovan@fcc.gov, TTY: (202) 418-0416

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-882A1.doc

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-882A1.pdf

http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DA-11-882A1.txt

4. WASHINGTON, D.C.— Senators John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV (D-W.Va.), Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.), Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) and Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.) today called on colleagues in the House and Senate to join them in passing legislation to provide America’s first responders with lifesaving communications tools before the tenth anniversary of 9/11. For the entire press release, please click on the link below.

http://commerce.senate.gov/public/index.cfm?p=PressReleases&ContentRecord_id=c8ce4ac8-ea02-468c-895c-5fb8af226135

5. NPSTC had very encouraging discussions with the FCC regarding a number of 700 MHz issues of importance to public safety. We received indications that the Commission is developing a Public Notice addressing the issues that NPSTC has shared as priorities. The NPSTC list of issues is below. The air-to-ground 700 MHz Petition for Rule Making is also attached in detail.

6.

APCO Australasia shows support for the 800MHz spectrum proposed for ESOs

16 May 2011: APCO Australasia supports the latest proposal put forward by the Federal Government for emergency service organizations (ESOs) to be allocated spectrum in the 800MHz band to build their own stand-alone national mobile broadband network. Des Bahr, Chief Executive Officer has said, “We should be looking at the solution that will best support our ESOs which APCO Australasia believes to be the proposed 800MHz spectrum.” “If the reported properties of 800MHz spectrum meet the public safety agencies requirements as a reliable and resilient mobile broadband capability it will benefit ESOs in the form of reduced equipment costs through economies of scale and increased interoperability within other countries in our region,” he said. ESOs were originally pushing the Federal Government for 20MHz of the Digital Dividend (700MHz) spectrum to build their own network, which is claimed to cost up to $1 billion to build. “The telecommunications industry is very concerned that recent ESO calls for some of the Digital Dividend spectrum would result in a lose-lose outcome because it would isolate Australian emergency services from the Asia-Pacific region and also impede the mobile telecommunications industry’s ability to roll-out the new 4G mobile broadband networks,” said Chris Althaus, Chief Executive Officer of Australian Mobile Telecommunications Association (AMTA). AMTA has said the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) had designated 806MHz to 824MHz and 851MHz to 869MHz for public protection and disaster relief in the Asia-Pacific region. A steering committee, to be co-chaired by the Attorney-General’s Department and the Department for Broadband, Communications and the Digital Economy and to include senior representatives from public safety agencies, will look further into the matter, with a view to report at the next meeting of the Standing Council on Police and Emergency Services. APCO Australasia looks forward to what will come from these deliberations and is hopeful 800MHz will be the best possible solution for supporting the critical work of our public safety agencies. APCO Australasia is a representative body for public safety professionals in the Australasian region and is dedicated to building resilient communities and the enhancement of public safety communications, equipment, infrastructure, services and practices. For further information please contact APCO Australasia on 1300 796 668.