Skip to main content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Blog

Up close view of high-power user equipment
Today’s firefighters must maintain connectivity, whether the mission takes them into remote wilderness areas or dense urban buildings. These places can be at the edges of where networks reach. By boosting signal strength, high-power user equipment on FirstNet helps firefighters stay connected wherever the call takes them.
Alt-text: An illustration depicting technology and connections with acronyms including: “RAN, SA, UE, R18, CORE, R19, and 5G”; “June 2023 3GPP Quarterly Meeting”
3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary meetings held in June 2023 focused on the feature progress for Release 18, including the completion of the architecture (stage 2) and the development of protocol work (stage 3). The meetings also included two workshops on Release 19 feature planning. This session marked the 100th set of 3GPP Plenary meetings.
National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators logo; Public Safety Advisory Committee members seated at a table
The National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC) is comprised of state leaders from the 56 states and territories who work to advance communications resiliency and interoperability for emergency response providers across the nation. Through its participation on the Public Safety Advisory Committee, the NCSWIC has helped make FirstNet more accessible to responders while also improving their ability to collaborate and exchange information more efficiently.
First Responder Network Authority Executive Director and CEO Joe Wassel speaking at a meeting attended by FirstNet Authority staff and public safety officials.
In this second blog of a two-part series, Executive Director and CEO Joe Wassel offers his insights on his first 100 days at the FirstNet Authority. After immersing himself in public safety engagement, contract oversight, and program management efforts, Joe shares his insights on the importance of these critical functions to the success of FirstNet.
First Responder Network Authority Executive Director and CEO Joe Wassel speaks to staff at meeting; Joe Wassel joins FirstNet Authority staff and NIST Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR) staff at conference; Joe Wassel tests virtual reality technology with PSCR staff at Boulder Lab; Joe Wassel speaks with fire service leaders at event; Joe Wassel stands with FirstNet Authority senior leaders in front of fire truck in Shanksville, Pennsylvania; FirstNet Authority Board Vice Chair Renee Gordon speaks
In this first blog of a two-part series, Executive Director and CEO Joe Wassel reflects on his first 100 days at the FirstNet Authority. Following a coast-to-coast tour where he met with first responders, he shares his thoughts, insights, and vision for the future of public safety communications.