Earthquake Communications Preparedness Forum

Public Notice:   PDF
Agenda:   PDF
Webcast:   Event Video
Presentation:   Prem Ramaswami - Product Manager, Google (ppt)
Presentation:   Masaru Fujino - Counselor, Embassy of Japan in the United States (pdf)
Presentation:   Great East Japan Earthquake Study Team (pdf)

The Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) hosted an Earthquake Communications Preparedness Forum on May 3, 2011, from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The forum was held in the Commission Meeting Room at FCC Headquarters.

Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) Meeting

Public Notice:   PDF
Agenda:   PDF
Webcast:   Event Video
Presentation:   Pat Amodio, Dr. Behzad Ghaffari, Brian Hurley - (pdf)

On Tuesday, March 15, 2011, the FCC held the first meeting of the Emergency Response Interoperability Center Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC). The PSAC will provide recommendations to assist the Commission and ERIC.

Interoperability Forum

Public Notice:   PDF
Agenda:   PDF
Webcast:   Event Video
Presentation:   Dr. Kenneth Budka - Senior Director, Advanced Mission Critical Communications, Bell Labs, Alcatel-Lucent (pdf)
Presentation:   Brian Daly - Director, Core & Government/Regulatory Standards, AT&T Mobility Services, LLC (pdf)
Presentation:   Dr. Dennis Martinez - Chief Technology Officer, Harris Corporation Radio Frequency (RF) Communications Division (pdf)
Presentation:   Emil Olbrich - Lead Project Engineer, Public Safety Communications Research (PSCR), National Institute of Standards & Technology (NIST) (pdf)
Presentation:   Jeff Anderson - Wireless Broadband System Architect, Motorola Solutions, Inc. (pdf)
Presentation:   Mark McDiarmid - Vice President, Radio Network Engineering, T-Mobile USA, Inc. (pdf)
Presentation:   Allan Sadowski - Information Technology Manager; North Carolina State Highway Patrol (NCSHP); Security Lead, North Carolina Department of Crime Control and Public Safety (CC&PS) (pdf)
Presentation:   John Santo - Executive Director, Wireless Systems Program Office, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Customs and Border Protection (CBP) (pdf)
Presentation:   Walt Magnussen - Director of Telecommunications, Texas A&M University (TAMU) & Director of Internet2 Technology Evaluation Center (ITEC) (pdf)
Presentation:   John Powell - Interoperability Chair, National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) (pdf)
Presentation:   Jack Suess - Vice President of Information Technology & Chief Information Officer, University of Maryland Baltimore County; Chair, InCommon Steering Committee (pdf)
Presentation:   Bill Price - Director Broadband Programs, Division of Telecommunications, State of Florida (pdf)
Presentation:   Dennis Roberson - Vice Provost for Corporate Relations and Strategic Initiatives, and Computer Science Research Professor, Illinois Institute of Technology; President and CEO of Roberson and Associates, LLC (pdf)
Presentation:   Bill Schrier - Chief Technology Officer & Director, Department of Information Technology, City of Seattle (pdf)

On Friday, March 4, 2011, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau hosted an Interoperability Forum. The forum garnered input on the technical framework for the nationwide public safety mobile (4G) broadband network to ensure nationwide interoperability.

Workshop on 4.9 GHz Band: Spectrum Dedicated to Public Safety for Broadband Use

Public Notice:   PDF
Agenda:   PDF
Webcast:   Event Video
Presentation:   Bill Brown - VDOT, Chair, Special Committee on Wireless Communications and Technology, AASHTO (pdf)
Presentation:   Stephen Devine - Interoperability Program Manager, Missouri Department of Public Safety (pdf)
Presentation:   Mark Jules - Chief Executive Officer, Avrio RMS Group (pdf)
Presentation:   Martin Levetin - Senior Vice President, Worldwide Sales and Marketing, Strix Systems (pdf)
Presentation:   Scott T. Wilder - Director of Technology and Communications, Brookline (MA) Police Department (pdf)
Presentation:   Lt. Mark Wilkins - Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, LA-RICS (pdf)
Presentation:   David Buchanan - Chair, Spectrum Management Committee, NPSTC (pdf)
Presentation:   Brett Kilbourne - Deputy General Counsel, UTC (pdf)
Presentation:   Dr. Nancy Merritt - Senior Policy Advisor, DOJ, NIJ (pdf)
Presentation:   Pam Montanari - Radio and Data Systems Manager, Pinellas County, Florida (pdf)
Presentation:   Joe Ross - Senior Partner, Televate, LLC (pdf)

On Friday, February 25, 2011, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau held a workshop on 4.9GHz Band. This event focused on how public safety can increase utilization of this spectrum.

Workshop on VHF/UHF narrowbanding

Public Notice:   PDF
Agenda:   PDF
Webcast:   Event Video
Presentation:   Roberto Mussenden PSHSB (pdf)
Presentation:   Tracy Simmons - PSHSB (pdf)
Presentation:   Rich Reed - Office of Emergency Communications (OEC), Department of Homeland Security (DHS) (pdf)
Presentation:   Barry C. Einsig - Joint Council on Transit Wireless (pdf)
Presentation:   Ralph Haller - National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) (pdf)
Presentation:   Chuck Jackson - Vice President, North America, Government and Commercial Markets, Motorola Solutions, Inc. (pdf)
Presentation:   Farokh Latif - Director; Spectrum Management Division; Association of Public Safety Communications Officials — International (APCO) (pdf)
Presentation:   Paul Patrick - National Association of State EMS Officials (NASEMSO) (pdf)
Presentation:   Stephen T. Devine - Interoperability Program Manager, Missouri Department of Public Safety (pdf)
Presentation:   Daniel B. Phythyon - Director; Policy, Planning and Analysis Division; OEC DHS (pdf)

On Wednesday, January 26, 2011, the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau held a workshop on VHF/UHF narrowbanding. The workshop will assist licensees in completing the transition to narrowband radio communications by the January 1, 2013 deadline.

Cybersecurity Roadmap Workshop

Public Notice:   PDF
Agenda:   PDF
Webcast:   Event Video

The Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau held a workshop to discuss the development of a cybersecurity roadmap by the FCC. The National Broadband Plan included a recommendation that the FCC issue a Cybersecurity Roadmap to identify the five most critical cybersecurity threats to the communications infrastructure and its end-users, and develop a plan to address those threats. The workshop/webinar helped facilitate input from panelists and the public about what should be included in the cybersecurity roadmap.

Workshop/Webinar on Contraband Cell Phone Use in Prisons

Public Notice:   PDF
Written Remarks:   PSHSB Chief James Arden Barnett, Jr
Presentation:   FCC OET Chief Julius Knapp
Statements:   Support of New Non-Cell Jamming Technologies
Briefing Sheet:   Putting An End to Illegal Cell Phone Use in Prisons
Webcast:   Event Video
Transcript:   PDF

The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, in partnership with the National Institute of Justice and the Association of State Correctional Administrators, held a workshop/webinar to discuss methods for combating the use of contraband cell phones in prisons. The workshop/webinar also discussed technologies currently available and in use to combat contraband cell phone use in prisons, as well as the legal constraints and policy concerns relating to cell jamming and other interfering technologies.

Workshop on Emergency Alerting for the 21st Century

Public Notice:   PDF
Webcast:   Event Video
Transcript:   PDF

The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau and the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA's) National Continuity Programs (NCP) held a workshop on 21st Century Emergency Alerting: Leveraging Multiple Technologies to Bring Alerts and Warnings to the Public.

The workshop highlighted the status of and relevant details related to the Integrated Public Alert and Warning System, including the Next Generation Emergency Alert System (EAS) and the Commercial Mobile Alert System. This public meeting also provided FEMA, the FCC and other Federal partners an opportunity to gather feedback on outstanding issues related to these systems, the upcoming National EAS test, and the FCC's upcoming inquiry proceeding on next generation alerting.

Workshop on Critical Infrastructure and Information Collection

Public Notice:   PDF
Webcast:   Event Video
Transcript:   PDF

The workshop focused on reliability and security of the nation's communications critical infrastructure. Discussion addressed both protecting and securing communications and information systems and incentives that should be in place to encourage increased resiliency and security in communications networks. Panelists also discussed reliability information collection and how such data can help to improve the reliability and security of wired and wireless communications infrastructures including broadband networks.

Colloquium on Public Safety Portion of the National Broadband Plan

Public Notice:   PDF
Agenda:   PDF
Presentation:   Click here
Webcast:   Event Video
Transcript:   PDF

The FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau held a colloquium to discuss the public safety and homeland security portion of the National Broadband Plan.

As part of the colloquium, representatives from the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau made presentations discussing how the Plan addresses the following issues:

• Deployment of a nationwide interoperable public safety wireless broadband network;
• Innovation in the development and deployment of Next Generation 911 networks and emergency alerting systems;
• Cyber security and critical infrastructure survivability.

Technical Panel on 700 MHz Nationwide Interoperable Public Safety Wireless Broadband Network

News Release:   PDF
Agenda:   Click here
Webcast:   Event Video
Presentation:   Dr. Stagg Newman & Dr. Jon Peha
Presentation:   Mr. Robert LeGrande
Presentation:   Mr. Mark McDiarmid
Presentation:   Mr. Roger Quayle
Presentation:   Mr. Allan Sadowski
Transcript:   PDF

On Wednesday, March 17, 2010 the FCC's Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau held a technical panel to discuss the 700 MHz nationwide interoperable public safety wireless broadband network. The panel provided viewpoints on the technical design, operation, and evolution of the public safety wireless broadband network.

Public Forum to Create an Emergency Response Interoperability Center

News Release:   PDF
Webcast:   Event Video
Concept Paper:   Click here
Transcript:   PDF

PSHSB held a public forum to discuss the need for enhanced coordination and cooperation among public safety entities to achieve broadband interoperability and operability. The forum also discussed the creation of an Emergency Response Interoperability Center (ERIC) to develop common standards and to provide interoperability and operating procedures for the public safety licensee authorized to construct, operate and use the nationwide wireless broadband network.

Broadband Workshop: Cyber Security

Webcast:   Event Video
Workshop Agenda: Click here
Workshop Presentations: Click here

The Cyber Security Workshop examined the nation's ability to prevent, detect and respond to cyber attacks and how broadband technology can enhance the nation's cyber security efforts. The workshop also looked at the challenges that broadband technologies can bring to cyber security efforts. It brought together representatives from the public safety community, government agencies, industry, and academia to discuss these issues as well as cultures and policies that are needed for those technological innovations and tools to work effectively.

If you have comments on the PSHSB workshop, please post them through our feedback form. To learn more about FCC's Broadband initiatives, visit Broadband.gov.