By Mary Rose Roberts
What is the status of the recently funded public-safety broadband network? How will multimedia play a role in transmitting data from citizens to dispatch to public-safety personnel in the field?
To answer some of these questions, FIRE CHIEF spoke with Gregg Riddle, immediate-past president of the Association of Public Safety Officials (APCO). Riddle talks about the recent naming of members to the nationwide public-safety broadband network board, FirstNet. He also provides details about the Public Safety Alliance’s efforts to lobby officials about keeping the T-Band spectrum with public safety instead of auctioning it off, as well as current APCO President Terry Hall’s work to support text messaging at public-safety answering points.
In this podcast, Riddle also discusses:
- APCO’s work to reclaim the T-Band by lobbying federal officials
- FirstNet’s request for suggestions for the design of the nationwide, public-safety broadband network
- FCC’s request to the wireless industry to allow citizens to use SMS to text dispatch, the first step toward NG-911
- Predictions on what role technology will play in public safety in 2013
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