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Hundreds of people sit in a room during a presentation at the 3GPP plenary meetings June 11-15, 2018 in La Jolla, CA
11 Jul

Tech Talk: La Jolla, CA, 3GPP Plenary Meetings Recap

In the FirstNet Authority’s ongoing effort to keep you informed regarding standards development activities impacting public safety, and following our recent update on the March Plenary meetings in Chennai, India, this blog discusses the latest developments from the 3GPP Plenary meetings held in La Jolla, CA, from June 11-15, 2018. The June quarterly meetings addressed standards in several areas relevant to the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) in three separate plenary group meetings.

Two officers in Rhode Island State Police jackets look at the crowd at the 2018 Volvo Ocean Racenear the water
20 Jun

Smooth Sailing for FirstNet at Volvo Ocean Race

When the town of Newport, Rhode Island hosted the 2018 Volvo Ocean Race, it was the only North American stopover out of 12 cities on six continents during this around-the-world sailing event. For 13 days in May, over 100,000 tourists and sailing enthusiasts descended onto Newport’s Race Village in Fort Adams State Park to witness one of the world’s toughest sailings competitions. 

Two firetrucks, an ambulance, and other emergency vehicles gather at an incident by the side of the road
12 Jun

FirstNet Has Arrived: What EMS Professionals Need to Know about Public Safety’s Broadband Network

At our recent FirstNet Board Meeting in Little Rock, we heard from two Arkansas agencies that have adopted FirstNet. Metropolitan Emergency Medical Services (MEMS) serves more than half a million residents in and around Little Rock. MEMS Executive Director John Swanson says having another layer of redundancy and additional capabilities drove the agency’s decision to subscribe to FirstNet.

Aerial view of the damage caused by the May 15, 2018 storm in Brookfield, CT.
07 Jun

FirstNet Responds After Strong Storms Hit Western Connecticut

When the town of Brookfield, Connecticut was hit hard by a tremendous storm with wind speeds over 100 miles per hour, most of the area’s communications infrastructure was damaged and overloaded. For Brookfield Assistant Fire Chief Andrew Ellis the lack of communications threatened his ability to coordinate multiple agencies on scene providing mutual aid.

Three police officers using devices stand in front of a large group of people in a stadium
17 May

FirstNet Will Offer Law Enforcement a Reliable Connection and New Tools to Support Officer Wellness and Safety

Those who are employed in law enforcement know there is no amount of training or tool that can remove all risk from police work. Nonetheless, the deployment of FirstNet provides U.S. law enforcement agencies with another tool in their officer safety toolbox—a powerful communications network that improves first responder safety and offers more ways to track and monitor officer health and well-being.

Headshot of Harry Markley in uniform
15 May

Meet the expert: Law Enforcement advisor brings more than 30+ years of police experience to Public Safety Advocacy team

Harry Markley joined the First Responder Network Authority as law enforcement senior advisor after more than 30 years with the Phoenix Police Department. Markley started his career as patrol officer and was promoted through the ranks to assistant chief of police. In his three decades of service, he touched nearly every part of the department, serving as a narcotics detective, training officer, SWAT team commander, crime lab administrator, precinct commander, and director of the State Police Academy.

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