APCO and the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council approved the American National Standard on channel naming. The standard provides a consistent naming format for each FCC-designated interoperability channel used by public safety agencies. “The public safety community uses spectrum allocated by the FCC and NTIA in multiple bands that is replete with interoperability channels,” said APCO Executive Director George Rice. “It is necessary to develop and employ a common set of channel names so that all responders to an incident know which channel to tune their radios to, as well as the band and primary use for the channel.” NPSTC Chair Ralph Haller said “common interoperability channel names will help to assure that any organization responding to an emergency will be able to establish contact immediately when arriving on scene. Although the specific channel names were initially controversial, the proposed standard represents the collective efforts of public safety agencies across the country to reach consensus."
Public safety resistance to a D-block auction only seemed to intensify after Democrats and Republicans endorsed the approach at a House Communications Subcommittee hearing Thursday. It’s unclear how a nationwide, interoperable public safety network would otherwise be funded, subcommittee members said. Legislators also backed bipartisan 911 legislation that includes language to stop states from misusing 911 funds.
The FCC public safety spectrum capacity study released Tuesday “confirms that a 5 by 5 MHz pairing of spectrum in the 700 MHz band is sufficient for broadband public safety needs,” said T-Mobile in a statement (CD June 16 p3). “By deploying the technology that’s already widely used in the commercial sector, public safety can cover on an interoperable basis virtually any emergency with 10 MHz of spectrum. Any needs beyond that can easily be addressed with priority roaming across the commercial wireless bands.” Former FCC Chief Technologist Stagg Newman said the U.S. can’t afford to give public safety their own “lane” by way of the 700 MHz D-block. “The cost effective approach to meeting both needs above is to light-up public safety’s broadband spectrum while sharing cell site and fiber infrastructure,” he said. “The country cannot afford to build a new totally stand-alone dense cellular public safety network to support only one million or so users when each national cellular player supports many tens of millions of users on its infrastructure."
The federal government remains threatened by cyber-based threats because the Department of Homeland Security’s office in charge of cybersecurity needs more resources, several federal officials told the House Committee on Homeland Security Wednesday. Committee Chairman Bernie Thompson (D-Miss.) agreed but said major legislation will be difficult to pass in the short time that Congress remains in session this year.
The Congressional Research Service has issued a report entitled, “The Future of U.S. Trade Policy: An Analysis of Issues and Options for the 111th Congress.”
Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., is worried that a draft public safety bill by Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., allows the FCC to condition use of the D-block, he said late Monday. A bipartisan draft of the Waxman bill surfaced Monday (CD June 15 p1). The House Communications Subcommittee plans a hearing Thursday. “I am still concerned that the draft still allows the FCC to impose conditions of what entities can bid on the spectrum while Republicans want no conditions,” said Stearns, ranking member of the Communications Subcommittee. But National Emergency Number Association CEO Brian Fontes called the draft bill a key step forward. “The draft legislation underscores the importance of a national wireless public safety broadband network and a clear demonstration of a commitment to fund both the construction and maintenance of the network,” he said. The subcommittee announced as invited witnesses FCC Public Safety Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett; Charles Dowd, New York City Police deputy chief; Jonathan Moore, a director at the International Association of Fire Fighters; Steve Zipperstein, Verizon Wireless’s general counsel; Joseph Hanley, technology vice president for Telephone and Data Systems; NENA’s Fontes; Dale Hatfield, an adjunct professor at the University of Colorado; and Coleman Bazelon, a principal of the Brattle Group.
An FCC white paper released Tuesday builds a case against giving public safety direct access to the 10 MHz D-block, which the National Broadband Plan proposes be sold in an upcoming auction. Public safety groups have waged a ferocious battle against the NBP’s recommendations.
The CEA differed with some consumer electronics makers and cable operators on whether the FCC should exempt more subscription-video providers from CableCARD rules so they can use cheap HD set-top boxes that combine navigation and security features. Filings Monday on fixes to CableCARDs before the commission moves to a gateway device standard showed NCTA and members including Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable support use of digital terminal adapters (DTA), as the regulator proposed in a rulemaking (CED April 22 p3). The CEA and Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition (CERC) said DTAs undermine CableCARDs.
The CEA differed with some consumer electronics makers and cable operators on whether the FCC should exempt more subscription-video providers from CableCARD rules so they can use cheap HD set-top boxes that combine navigation and security features. Filings Monday on fixes to CableCARDs before the commission moves to a gateway device standard showed NCTA and members including Comcast, Cox Communications and Time Warner Cable support use of digital terminal adapters (DTA), as the regulator proposed in a rulemaking (CD April 22 p6). The CEA and Consumer Electronics Retailers Coalition (CERC) said DTAs undermine CableCARDs.
Telecom officials will gather at Tuesday’s Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing to discuss the industry’s views on cybersecurity legislation proposed last week by Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn. and several lawmakers. The bill would give the president power to declare a national cyber-emergency and take unspecified emergency measures to address it without congressional approval (WID June 11 p1). Some industry leaders are concerned that the bill could give the president a “kill switch” to shut down the Internet despite promises by its sponsors that it will not. Speakers from the private sector at the 3 p.m. session, being held in Room 342 Dirksen, include Frances Fragos Townsend, who chairs the board of the Intelligence and National Security Alliance; Alan Paller, the SANS Institute’s Director of Research; and Verizon Chief Network Security Officer Sara Santarelli.