FCC: Proposed Changes to CORES

The FCC released a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) on December 6, 2010, intended to make its Commission Registration System (CORES), which issues FCC Registration Numbers (FRN), more feature-friendly to improve the Commission's ability to comply with Federal guidelines concerning debt collection and personal information. The proposed changes will improve the interface, making it more effective and efficient. Comments to the proposals raised in the NPRM must be submitted by March 3, 2011. Reply comments have a deadline of March 18, 2011. A forum with staff and the public will be held at 10:00 AM on March 10, 2011 to explore legal and technical challenges raised by the proposed modifications. The FCC's web site will allow non-attendees to follow over the Internet. For more information on the forum, see the FCC's Blog post.

Some of the proposed changes include:

• A strict single FRN rule
• Multiple registrants with multiple points of contact allowed
• Elimination of certain TIN exception reasons
• Registrant E-mail addresses
• Using CORES to alert FRN holders about financial or other administrative issues
• Tax-exempt indicator
• Bankruptcy indicator
• Company dashboard

For the text of the NPRM see the FCC's web site.

Vendors: Verizon and Motorola Align for Public Safety

An alliance was announced Wednesday between Motorola Solutions and Verizon Wireless, providing LTE broadband solutions in the 700 MHz band. Funding issues often cause agencies to delay construction and interoperability, or drastically reduce the scale of their initial broadband wireless buildouts. Public-safety customers will have the ability to leverage LTE applications across Verizon's commercial network as a coordinated supplement to a private LTE network and roaming partner when the private network is not available.

“The solution that we’ve worked out with Verizon is to … offer customers the ability of a nationwide, enhanced carrier roaming package that pre-negotiates the technical and some of the business interfaces between private and public networks,” said Rick Keith, Motorola Solutions senior director of LTE product management, according to Urgent Communications. “So, we can facilitate nationwide roaming, we can put in real-time device application control and management and be able to facilitate procedural operations on handsets, whether they’re in public networks or in private networks, so they get a very similar experience.”

Users roaming between private Public Safety networks and Verizon's LTE systems, Motorola devices will be able to operate on the band 14 spectrum, as well as Band 13 Frequencies from Verizon in the 700 MHz band. Also, 2G/3G and Wi-Fi technology will be other enhancements.
For more information on the partnership, see the Urgent Communications article.

IWCE: Upcoming Conference in Las Vegas

Public Safety and Government agency professionals, and anyone who works in technology or transportation are encouraged to attend the 2011 International Wireless Communications Expo (IWCE) March 9-11 in Las Vegas, NV.  The event will be held at the Las Vegas Convention Center, and will include exhibitors as well as a conference on Convergent Communications, and is preceeded by the College of Technology educational event.

Exhibitors will include vendors and representatives working in Land Mobile Radio, PCS/Cellular, Antennas and Accessories, Telematics/Mobile Data, 802.11/Wi-Fi/Wi-Max, RF Engineering, VoIP, GPS/Location Based Systems, Towers, Surveillance Equipment, Networks and Systems, Infrastructure, Interoperability Solutions, Intelligent Radio, and many more.

Conference sessions during the Expo will offer valuable information on infrastructure, networks, systems, hardware, applications, digital mobile radio, surveillance and security systems, broadband, and narrowbanding, as well as special sessions for specfic attending groups.  Industry leaders will be present to discuss cutting edge regulatory and policy issues.

The College of Technology at IWCE will be held Monday, March 7 and Tuesday, March 8.  Attending IT professionials and engineers in the convergnet communications community can look forward to courses ranging from beginner to advanced. 

EMR CONSULTING will not be exhibiting with a booth at the event, but our leading consultants plan on attending to take in some technology, see some familiar faces, and meet some new ones!

APCO: International Standards Development Committee

APCO International released an invitation last Thursday, February 17th, to public safety communications professionals who represent producers and general interests to join the APCO International Standards Development Committee.  The committee also has openings on its Operations and Technical Sub-Committees. More information can be found at APCO's website.  See the announcement for links to the application and contact information.

Public Safety: $298 Million Moved to Local Police Agencies from NASA

The House voted on Wednesday, February 16, 2011 to redistribute $298 million from NASA to spend on local police agencies.  The 228-203 vote amended a stopgap bill that was meant to keep the government running for the rest of this fiscal year.

Lawmakers face significant challenges deciding which priorities to attend to while making large budget cuts.
If the change passes the Senate, it will cost 1,500 to 2,000 NASA jobs, according to Rep Fran Wolf, R-Va., a NASA supporter. It will cut spending for the agency by $303 million.  The other reappropriations in the bill, including $61 in proposed spending cuts across the entire government, have caused fierce opposition from Senate Democrats. President Barack threatened to veto the bill, to avoid cuts he says will "sharply undermine coregovernment functions and investments key to economic growth and job creation." On March 4, the current stopgap bill will expire, and the plan must be passed to decide on spending through Sept. 30.

Read more in the Police One article.

Public Safety: Report Projects $800 Million Increase in Spending

A January 2011 report from market research firm INPUT revealed a projected $800 million in spending in the state and local market for justice, Public Safety, and Homeland Security technology through the next five years.  Cutting edge and back office solutions, including case automation to predictive analytics will push the market above $6 billion by 2015.

Federal initiatives will standardize radio communications and data networks, and budgeting woes will bring hiring freezes, according to the report.  Cost-effective IT solutions will be attractive to agencies in the near future.

Studies of state and local IT markets reveal a stabilization of revenue streams, declines in spending as stimulus funding runs out, use of technology as a "force multiplier" for police and sheriff's departments put under stress by hiring freezes.  Automated case management will provide efficiency for agencies.  Federal direction and regulations for systems providing interoperability, intelligent policing, and information sharing will also give IT spending a push.

See the Press Release from INPUT here.

FCC: Verizon Requested to Assess Blocked 911 Calls

The FCC has requested that Verizon investigate the cause of the failure of approximately 10,000 wireless calls to 911 centers in Maryland during the January 26, 2011 snowstorm.  Verizon will assess the problem, discover remedies, and implement solutions to restore the network operations if future problems occur.

The failure was far from minor, with nine out of 10 Verizon circuits in Prince George's County failing to go through in a five-hour timeframe.  The result was 8,300 blocked calls in Montgomery County and 1,700 in Prince George's County on the evening of the January 26th.  Similar cases have been reported, including calls being blocked from reaching a 911 call center in Fairfax County, Virginia on the same date.

In the letter from Jamie Barnett, Rear Admiral (ret.) and Chief of the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, Verizon is requested to investigate and answer for the following questions:

• Is the problem localized to the 911 call centers using the Hyattsville and Rockville, Maryland selective routers?
• Was this the same problem that occurred in Fairfax County, Virginia?
• Can this problem occur elsewhere in the nation?
• Has this problem occurred in other states and if so, in which states?

In addition to the requested information, due by March 10, 2011 Chief Barnett has asked for a meeting with Verizon representatives within the next two weeks.  Read more in the Public Notice from the FCC.

D-Block: Commentary from Vice President Biden

released Friday, February 11, 2011 on McClatchy
Commentary: Building a safer America

by Vice President of the United States Joe Biden

During his trip to Michigan on Thursday, the president announced the Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative. It will, for the first time, allow first responders to build a reliable communication network that takes advantage of the same technology that my grandkids use on their smartphones, while making high-speed wireless services available to millions of Americans in rural areas.

Here's how it will work: We will dedicate a part of the airwaves (called "spectrum"), which are what smartphones and other high-speed mobile devices use to communicate, to public safety for a high-speed wireless network that will reach across the country. When we auction licenses to use the airwaves, we will dedicate a part of that income to help public safety build this network.

Another part of those auction proceeds will go for research and development that will benefit everyone who uses wireless technology - so that this country will not only have the fastest networks but also the best wireless technologies for public safety, education, health care, transportation and energy.

A nationwide high-speed wireless public safety network like this is long overdue.

This year is the 10th anniversary of one of the greatest tragedies that our nation has ever endured. We lost nearly 3,000 lives on Sept. 11, 2001. Among them were more than 400 firefighters and police officers who bravely ran into burning and collapsing buildings, sacrificing their own lives to save the lives of others.

The systems those brave men and women relied on to communicate with one another were simply not as advanced as they should have been. There have been improvements since, but emergency medical technicians, firefighters, police and other first responders still need a better wireless communications system - a network that allows them to communicate reliably when they need it most, and works seamlessly with neighboring cities and counties when they are called to assist if tragedy strikes.

This initiative will give them a reliable network. First responders need to communicate even when no one else can - their calls can't be dropped if they are in a basement or parking garage and they have to be able to get through in emergencies. They need to know that, as much as we're relying on them, they can rely on their communications systems.

Instead of the old radios they use now, first responders will communicate with devices that will also let them transmit video, images and data. Firefighters will be able to download building schematics onto their devices to find the best routes to safety. A police officer will be able to quickly determine if the car in the traffic stop is stolen or if the driver has an outstanding warrant. EMTs will be able to transmit pictures from an accident scene ahead to doctors in the emergency room. Lives will, quite simply, be saved.

This is an unprecedented investment in the brave men and women who put themselves in danger so the rest of us can be safe. Giving them the tools they need to do their jobs successfully is simply the least we can do for them, for our communities, and for an entire nation that depends on them so immensely.

Read more: http://www.mcclatchydc.com/2011/02/11/108451/building-a-safer-america.html#ixzz1EFNh7GFH

FCC: Workshop for Assessment of ASR program

The FCC announced yesterday that a public workshop will be held in Washington, DC, for the Programmatic Environmental Assessment (PEA) of its Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) program.  The National Environmental Policy Act (NEPA) demands the Commission conduct the assessment of its ASR program's effect on the environment.  The workshop being held April 1, 2011 at 9:30am Eastern Time will be a valuable experience for individuals responsible for tower construction.  "At the workshop, the Commission will discuss the data sources, assumptions, and methodologies that it is using in developing the PEA, and it will accept comments from members of the public," according to the notice.

Access the Public Notice for more information.

D-Block: Gaining Federal Support

The fight for legislation allocating the D-block of 700 MHz wireless broadband spectrum to public safety has been a long road for lobbyists and supporters. Recently Administrative and Congressional attention has been turned in that direction. The 9/11 Commission began an initiative more than seven years ago based on the added safety and efficiency this allocation would provide. In a recent speech at Northern Michigan University, in Marquette, Mich., President Barack Obama officially pledge his support. Representatives Peter King of New York and Bennie Thompson of Mississippi also got behind the cause by reintroducing a bill (First Responder's Act of 2011, H.R. 607) to designate the D-Block to public safety agencies.

The unacceptable capability of commercial networks used for public safety are a safety liability. Agencies currently use networks that are simply not sufficient in uptime, availability, and redundancy. With current daily usage, the networks hold up. However, in the event of a major catastrophe masses of panicked people will use the carrier network to reach loved ones, causing the systems to fail. This puts police officers, firefighters, and EMS personnel at significant risk during large-scale emergencies.

The networks are also inefficient in their current state. Public safety needs a full 20 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum to maintain a strong nationwide broadband network to suit their data, video, and, in the future, voice communications. The current 10 MHz already occupied by public safety is already adjacent to the D-Block. Extending the allocation would remedy a number of technical issues (including interference), and the cost and complexity of building the network would be reduced.

See the full text of H.R. 607 here.

Public Safety: Historic Federal Court Ruling on Los Angeles Suit

On Thursday, February 10th, 2011 a Federal district court filed a summary judgment ruling that Los Angeles does not currently have sufficient emergency preparedness for communication, evacuation, transport, and/or shelter for people with disabilities. The historic judgment stated that "Because of the city's failure to address their unique needs, individuals with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to harm in the event of an emergency or disaster." The city of Los Angeles held that the responsibility fell not on the local government agencies, but on the Red Cross and the people themselves.

U.S. District Court Judge Consuelo B. Marshall ruled in favor of plaintiffs, ordering a settlement conference to be held within 21 days from the ruling. The order also maintained the defendant's liability in the matter.

Read more in the released order.

FCC: Technical Advisory Council Appointments

The FCC announced the appointment of six members of its Technical Advisory Council (TAC) today, whose purpose will be to share recommendations and ideas to the Chairman on relevant topics affecting the regulation of technological innovations in the United States. The members, with backgrounds ranging from finance, technology, and integration, held their first meeting in December 2010 to discuss strategies to stimulate the nation's broadband evolution.

 

The new Technical Advisory Council members are:

• Shahid Ahmed, a global leader for the Wireless Technology Consulting Practice
• General Wesley Clark, U.S. Army former Four-Star General and Chairman and CEO of Wesley K. Clark and Associates
• Paul Mankiewich, Chief Architect at Mobility Solutions and Juniper Networks
• John Marinho, Director of Enterprise Mobility Solutions at Dell, Inc.
• Deven Parekh, Managing Director at Insight Venture Partners
• Russ Gyurek, Office of the CTO at Cisco Systems

For more information visit http://www.fcc.gov/

Communications: Countdown to the Narrowbanding Deadline

Currently, affected agencies have 318 days until the January 1, 2013 deadine to comply with new FCC regulations. Timely compliance is the only way to avoid fines and immediate cancellation of licenses. The narrowbanding order, issued to improve efficiency and decrease interference on 800 MHz systems, has been a significant challenge in public safety in recent years, and the pressure is only increasing as the date draws nearer. All land mobile radio, VHF and UHF technology, including towers, equipment, and any inventory devices, are required to switch from operation on 25 kHz systems to 12.5 kHz. Efficiency requirements for mobile data systems are 4800 bps for 6.2 kHz channels and 9800 for 12.5 kHz narrowband channels.

 

The agencies most affected by the order issued on August 6, 2004 are those in Public Safety. Technology and licenses need to have completed the transition process as soon as possible to avoid going off-air. EMR Consulting specializes is orchestrating and completing this process, providing shelter from the bureaucratic storm and alleviating the pressure of revamping an entire communications system. Our services include:

• FCC Licensing and Related Regulations
• System Design and Engineering
• Vendor Selection and Criteria
• Tower Identification and Leasing
• Presentations To Funding Authorities
• Creation and Drafting of Requests For Proposals
• Responses to Requests for Proposals
• Radio Channel Coordination and Use
• Asset Management Techniques
• FAA Clearance For Antenna Supporting Structures and Related Regulations
• Propagation Issues
• Project Management to Assure Efficient Deployment

For an accurate countdown to the deadline, see the widget at the bottom of our blog, and for in-depth information, visit the FCC's website, or see this quick guide from IAFC.

Welcome to the EMR Blog

Thank you for celebrating the maiden voyage of our EMR blog with us.  Currently we are working on some exciting updates to our online presences, and we hope that our many clients, colleagues, and associates will enjoy and find benefit from the content posted in this arena.   

We are eager to turn up the volume and share the EMR voice to provide resources in the communications industry.  Frequent posts are on the way, as well as updates to EMR's website.  Readers may look forward to press releases, updates, articles, general information and commentary on topics such as 800 MHz Rebanding, Narrowbanding, Project 25, TIA TSB-88, APCO, Radio Club of America, EMR news, and other industry information.

This being a new feature for us, we invite you to comment on and contribute to as the material found here.  Any private comments or suggestions for future posts and features are welcome as well.  Please send inquiries to kmilfort@emrconsults.com.