Blog

FirstNet Authority Senior Law Enforcement Advisor Harry Markley spent more than 30 years with the Phoenix Police Department, rising through the ranks and serving in nearly every part of the department. At the FirstNet Authority, he works with law enforcement to understand how mobile broadband can fit into their operations and how FirstNet can help keep officers and the public safe.      

The first quarterly Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) Plenary e-meetings of 2021 recently concluded. At the March meetings, the 3GPP momentum continued with more Release 17 progress and a focus on the upcoming June deadline for stage 2 (architecture) work. There were major discussions on the use of the 5G New Radio (NR) sidelink interface to support both user equipment (UE) to network (U2N) relay and UE to UE (U2U) relay.

FirstNet Authority Senior Fire Services Advisor Gary McCarraher spent more than 45 years in fire and EMS, serving as fire chief of three departments. At the FirstNet Authority, he works with fire services personnel to understand the needs of firefighters and how FirstNet can provide greater situational awareness when responding to wildfires and urban fires.

The Cameron Peak Fire was the largest wildland fire in Colorado’s history. Don Patterson, a firefighter and communications expert, deployed to the fire knowing that broadband communications would play a huge role, particularly with the threat of COVID-19. Deployables and other advanced technologies helped everyone communicate — from incident command at the base camp to frontline firefighters.

FirstNet Authority Senior Emergency Management Advisor Bruce Fitzgerald spent more than 15 years in public safety and crisis management, responding to major disasters and assisting with recovery and mitigation. At the FirstNet Authority, he works with emergency managers to understand their needs and demonstrate how mobile broadband can support all phases of emergency management.