How FirstNet Will Transform Corrections Technology
By Neil A. Miller The corrections field is the toughest beat in the nation. The public expects wardens and correctional officers – in both local and state facilities – to…
Insights
Fire Service Must Offer Input to FirstNet State Plans
By Eric Tade Why is this important to the fire service? Because Colorado and other states have unique wildland, rural and urban response challenges and considerations, and the fire service…
Verizon. It’s Not the Solution. It’s the Problem. (Part 2)
Part two is intended to focus on other issues related to Verizon and their recent announcement on their desire to move forward with public safety. They made this easy this last week with two news items.
FirstNet Is Delivering More Than We Imagined
By Anna M. Gomez As Deputy Administrator at the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), I was privileged to work with tremendously talented people in the Obama administration and…
Verizon. It’s Not the Solution It’s the Problem. (Part 1)
By Richard Mirgon, Public Safety Consultant As a Verizon 911 customer for many years in the late 90’s and early 2000 they provided very good service. That ended when…
FirstNet Crucial to Georgia’s Public Safety
Opting in would put advanced tools into the hands of Georgia’s public safety community, allowing it to be better prepared for any event, whether small or large. By Ed Davis, former…
‘I Love It When a Plan Comes Together’
“I love it when a plan comes together” — kind of like what the folks at AT&T Wireless are probably thinking these days. By Lawrence R. Krevor Some of us…
Opting Out to FirstNet is a Cop Out and Expensive to Taxpayers
States owe it to their residents – and their pocketbooks – to opt-in to FirstNet. It will not only save taxpayers money, but may also help responders better save their…
An Opt-Out Doomsday Clock? Seriously?
From offering input as to the definition of public safety responder, to publicly stating its views as to Opt-Out being a false choice, APCO has been and will continue to be a voice in support of FirstNet and their partner, AT&T.
“It Will Save Lives”
I was having a conversation the other day where an associate was telling me about a conversation with a state official and was asked “tell me why I need FirstNet in ten words or less?” I jumped in and said well I can do it in four words. He asked how. I said “It will save lives”.
‘FirstNet’ Game Changer for Emergency Response (Opinion)
The Pulse nightclub shooting showed how critical inter-departmental coordination is in responding to cross jurisdictional situations — where firefighters, EMS and police must all communicate.
All In: Betting Against Opt-Out
With FirstNet’s historic announcement of its selection of AT&T as its partner, we are about to achieve the promise of a state-of-the-art, nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network.
PSAP of the Future, Fantasy or Fact?
So, let’s talk about something that so far doesn’t seem to be getting much attention. So many articles talk about the states opting in or opting out. They talk about…
Opting in: App-Enabled Public Safety Network Depends on a Unified and Interoperable Platform
The App Association strongly supports states opting in to the federal public safety broadband network to best enable their first responders to protect public health and safety. The first half…
GUEST COLUMN: FirstNet Crucial For Public Safety
With all the partisan bickering in Washington, D.C., it’s easy to think that progress has stalled on every issue. But something good happened recently, and Indiana could start seeing benefits…