Public Safety Mobilizes in Support of D-Block

APCO President Greg Riddle issued an urgent, early morning call to action for APCO members to contact their represenatives and senators, asking them to oppose give-backs of 700 MHz Narrowband spectrum and support D-Block allocation with sufficient funding in two bills that are currently on the two respective floors. 

The Public Safety Alliance (PSA) issued the same call to action, urging Public Safety advocates and personnel to reach out to their friends, family, and colleagues as well. 

A payroll-tax bill, H.R. 3630 was introduced last Friday on the House floor including language that would reallocate the 700 MHz D-Block.  The bill also included $5-$6.5 billion in funding for the deployment of the first nationwide dedicated Public Safety LTE network.

This same bill unfortunately also calls for Public Safety to give back its 700 MHz narrowbnand spectrum to the FCC within coming years, and has a questionable governance model according to many Public Safety spokespeople.  Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) wrote a letter to House Commerce Committee and Senate Commerce Committee leadership in support of the governance model in S. 911, sponsored by Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas).  The bill passed the Senate Commerce Committee last week with a 17-6 vote.

According to a Dec. 8th PSA press release, this legislation marks the completion of one of the last unmet recommendations of the 9/11 Commission from more than 10 years ago.  It is possible that D-block legislation could become a standalone bill in the House, but most expect the language to be inserted into an appropriations or payroll tax bill. 

Although the outcome is uncertain, now is the time for the Public Safety community to make a push on their legislators to support them by fulfilling this recommendation, ten years in the making.

APCO Women's Leadership Conference Announced

APCO International will host its annual Women in Public Safety Communications Leadership Conference in Orlando, FL next year at the Hyatt Regency Grand Cypress.

April 18-19, 2012, women from across the country will gather to learn about and discuss leadership topics, including office communication, work-life balance, and career development. 

For more info, visit http://wipsc.apcointl.org/.

APCO Appoints Derek Poarch to Executive Director

Former FCC Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau Derek Poarch has been appointed as the new Executive Director of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), as announced yesterday from the organization. 

Poarch has more than 30 years of Public Safety experience, and served as a leader in law enforcement and in telecommunications regulations. 

Good morning from APCO 2011!

EMR Consulting and Schwaninger & Associates have been at APCO this week.  We have really enjoyed reconnecting with our fellow public safety communications professionals and seeing some new faces as well!



Jenny Adkins, EMR President Sandra Black, and Robert Schwaninger at our booth.



Throughout this week, EMR has had the opportunity to hear about the triumphs and struggles of your agencies' communications systems- and we're still listening.  Stop by to talk to one of our consultants, and let us help give you the tools you need to be successful. 

If you carry a badge, stop by to get your free EMR t-shirt to show your support for public safety.

Come by and chat with us!



We'll See You in August!

EMR Consulting, Inc. and EMR Consulting Group, LLC will be at two conferences coming up this August:  the 77th Annual APCO International Conference and Expo and the National Association of Women Law Enforcement Executives (NAWLEE) Conference. 

The EMR booth at APCO will be accessible throughout the conference.  Come by to discuss Public Safety matters, learn more about our services, and pick up an EMR t-shirt.

EMR President and CEO Sandra L. Black will be speaking at the NAWLEE Awards Dinner on August 6th, 2011 in Milwaukee.  The NAWLEE conference is a fantastic networking and education opportunity for women in law enforcement who wish to further their careers.  Sandra will be speaking on "Breaking the Glass Ceiling."

D-block: Momentum Builds as Commerce Committee Passes S.911

News pieces this week point to imminent reallocation of the D-block of 700 MHz spectrum.  This is big news for those who have been working towards legislation for Public Safety spectrum in recent months and years.  It took only one day for the Senate Commerce Committee to finish its markup and pass the D-block bill (known as the S. 911, the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act, or just Spectrum Act) yesterday. 

The first-responder community had qualms about language in one version of the bill requiring agencies to give up existing narrowband spectrum in auctions to help fund the new Public Safety LTE networks.  Most are wary of the proposal, but not entirely opposed to it, provided their narrow-band efficiency is not lost with the transfer to newer technologies.  APCO's position on giving back spectrum is that Public Safety will need 30 MHz of broadband spectrum, so the spectrum in question should be migrated to broadband, not given back. 

Amendments to the bill, suggested by Sens. John McCain and Joseph Lieberman, would change the language to requiring the FCC to review whether migrating Public Safety from below 512 MHz makes sense technologically and economically.  Sean Kirkendall, spokesperson for APCO, says this is much more acceptable than giving back the spectrum. 

According to the TV News Check article, the Spectrum Act includes the following key points:

• Setting the groundwork for a nationwide, interoperable, wireless broadband Public Safety network
• Allocating the 10 MHz of D-block 700 MHz spectrum to Public Safety
• Directing the FCC to set a standard of efficiency that will allow Public Safety networks to be loaned out to non-Public Safety during times of non-use
• Allowing incentive auctions, providing licensees the ability to relinquish currently unused spectrum, and allowing auction funds to pay for construction and maintenance of the new Public Safety network
• Directing the National Science Foundation and National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct critical research on ground-breaking technologies

The passing of this bill is a significant stride, but the bill still has the obstacle of passing the whole Senate, and some say it will meet more opposition in the House.

Ranking member of the Committee, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison has high hopes for the legislation, saying, "The Commerce Committee has come together to move forward the most significant piece of telecommunications legislation in a decade. It is imperative our communications infrastructure be ready to handle the growth and innovations of the future. We have a bipartisan agreement that will build, without taxpayer funds, a 21st century public safety network that gives first responders the tools to do their jobs. Our bill will spur job creation, generate hundreds of billions in economic activity, and drive research and development while bringing down the national deficit. This is a commonsense approach to a national priority, and I hope the Senate will pass S. 911 without delay."

APCO: Getting Behind Broadband

Public Safety delegates from North America, Europe, and Asia Pacific voted to formally support LTE (Long Term Evolution) technology as the leading standard in 4G technology in a policy statement known as 4th Generation (4G) Broadband Technologies for Emergency Services.   This decision took place at the meeting of APCO's Global Alliance in London, England.  The statement reads:

"The partner associations of the APCO Global Alliance recognize that Long Term Evolution (LTE) is emerging as the leading standard in 4G technology; being adopted worldwide by the largest mobile communications service providers. Since LTE is a global standard, it is capable of providing emergency service agencies and governmental organizations with a cost-effective way to meet their broadband communications needs and one that gives them a greater selection of devices and applications – a capability that has been sought for years."

The document goes on to cover the benefits of LTE as an international Public Safety standard, citing its "all-IP architecture, spectral efficiency, and bandwidth flexibility." 

This statement was contributed by APCO International's immediate past president, Dick Mirgon:  "The partner associations of the APCO Global Alliance endorse LTE as the global standard for 4G emergency communications broadband networks, in part, to increase our ability to influence the development of LTE standards in support of critical emergency services; and to accelerate development of suitable LTE devices in support of emergency services at reduced equipment costs, providing greater create economies of scale for manufacturing, and promotion of competition."

APCO: New Course Added to Institute

On March 28, 2011 APCO announced the launch of its Disaster Operations and the Communications Center course.  The class is the first of its kind, a comprehensive disaster operations education geared toward public safety communications officials. 

Public Safety: We Added an Events Calendar Page!

Agencies benefit greatly from sending representatives to conferences, expos, and other networking or educational events.  There are so many different organizations out there holding such events, it may be difficult to keep track! EMR Emissions is now host to a comprehensive events calendar for your convenience.

If you are an organizer, feel free to contact us to add your event to our calendar!

APCO: Annual International Conference in August

Philadelphia, PA has been announced as the location for the upcoming 77th APCO International Annual Conference, held August 7-10, 2011.  Four thousand public safety communications officials are expected to attend from across the globe to participate.  Changes have been announced for this year's event − an 11am to 4pm timeslot Sunday for buyers to browse the exhibit hall and professional development sessions extended to allow more discussion time.

See the Conference Web site for details.

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.