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A football sits on a football field’s green turf; Assistant Secretary Alan Davidson, NTIA, and FirstNet Authority staff pose in Raiders’ Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas

Super-sizing safety communications for the Big Game

The FirstNet Authority team joined staff from AT&T to spend a January afternoon confirming that Allegiant Stadium in Nevada had broadband connectivity from top to bottom for the Big Game. Events like this are major tests for FirstNet, and the FirstNet Authority team has put in long hours to ensure that FirstNet passes with flying colors.

A mobile dispatch vehicle “Kansas 911” “Mobile Dispatch Training”; a hand holding a mobile phone showing a location app; a telecommunicator on the phone at a workstation

Kansas uses cutting-edge technology to enhance 911 services

Officials from the Kansas 911 Coordinating Council discuss how the state uses cutting-edge technology to enhance 911 services for telecommunicators, responders in the field, and the public. The state is using FirstNet to enable data sharing, mobile dispatching, and redundancy for 911 agencies.

A large group of people dressed in business attire seated at conference tables while taking notes on electronic devices at a 3GPP plenary session; a network overlay of lines is shown waving across the photo.

3GPP begins Release 19 work for public safety as Release 18 progress continues

The Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) held Plenary meetings in December 2023 focused on the feature progress for Release 18, planning for Release 19, and preliminary discussions for Release 20. During these meetings, the FirstNet Authority served as an active participant working to develop standards for mission critical services.

Close up of a smartphone in the hands of a public safety official

The game-changing benefits of push-to-talk for the fire service

With push-to-talk, the press of a button instantly connects firefighters with dispatch and other first responders, making it an invaluable communications tool. With firefighters increasingly needing easy access to multimedia data on the job, push-to-talk over FirstNet can be a gamechanger. It offers cost savings and added capabilities compared to only using radios.

“Emergency Management Resource Guide, September 2023” Cover of the Guide with public safety officials in front of workstations and screens and a SatCOLT with officials in a snowy backdrop. Greyed out pages of guide

3 highlights from the updated FirstNet Authority Emergency Management Guide

The FirstNet Authority Emergency Management Guide was developed by experts in FirstNet solutions and emergency management operations to help public safety plan for events or incidents. The guide is a comprehensive outlook for incorporating broadband into your communication plans and emergency management efforts. The September 2023 version of the guide features new sections highlighting FirstNet features important to public safety.