Enhancing National Preparedness to Space-Weather Events | whitehouse.gov

Enhancing National Preparedness to Space-Weather Events | whitehouse.gov: The strategy plans to deal with communications operability and interoperability - "Ensure the capability and interoperability of communications systems during extreme space-weather events: Effective communications systems are essential to gaining and maintaining situational awareness and ensuring unity of effort in response and recovery operations. The effects of space weather on communications systems occur at different timescales and at varying degrees within a single event, depending on the system and the characteristics and duration of the event. Government and private-sector stakeholders need guidance that allows them to maintain communications capabilities (including interoperability) during an extreme space-weather event."

Philippines, Pacific militaries train in post-disaster communication | Headlines, News, The Philippine Star | philstar.com

Philippines, Pacific militaries train in post-disaster communication: Military representatives from 21 Asia-Pacific nations including the Philippines met in Manila to discuss how to restore communication channels destroyed in disaster situations.

The meeting, part of the United States-led Exercise Pacific Endeavor 2015, hosted by the Armed Forces of the Philippines provided an opportunity for the partner-nations to enhance communication interoperability and learn about the latest trends in satellite technology, broadband global access networks (BGAN) and mobile Internet capabilities.

Ethiopian, Djiboutian militaries broaden communication, intelligence system skills at CJTF-HOA | Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa

Ethiopian, Djiboutian militaries broaden communication, intelligence system skills at CJTF-HOA | Combined Joint Task Force - Horn of Africa: Having a quick and effective means of communicating complex tasks is a critical component to any military force of sufficient size and complexity.

What began with runners conveying messages by foot to commanders in the field, and signalers waving flags to coordinate troop movements is now performed with sophisticated telecommunication systems and computers.

Aiding the military forces serving in the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) to effectively communicate is the U.S. Africa Command Data Sharing Network (ADSN). Recently, intelligence and communications personnel from the Ethiopian National Defense Force (ENDF) and Djiboutian Armed Forces (FAD) visited Combined Joint Task Force-Horn of Africa to work alongside U.S. intelligence and communication specialists here.

Cognitive Networked HF

The radio system bringing connectivity to the toughest environments in the world | ZDNet: The technology behind the system combines traditional high frequency (HF) terrestrial radio technology with modern cognitive and software-defined technologies. The latter is key, as it replaces typical hardware components (such as mixers and amplifiers) with software, enabling it to work even in the most demanding environments.

Homeland Security Today: DHS Needs to Improve Grant Guidance for Public Safety Communications Equipment, IG Says

Homeland Security Today: DHS Needs to Improve Grant Guidance for Public Safety Communications Equipment, IG Says: The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) isn’t providing specific requirements in its grant guidance to grantees for acquiring interoperable emergency communications equipment, according to a new DHS Inspector General (IG) audit report.



Quack, quack, quack.  As if the quality of "interoperability" was readily observable.  SAFECOM grant guidance has been issued with each program for years.

Baltimore Wasn't Fully Prepared for Riot, Mayor Says

Baltimore Wasn't Fully Prepared for Riot, Mayor Says: The Baltimore Sun reported Monday that the emails and other documents show that communications within government broke down during the riots of April 27, as officials desperate for information exchanged rumors and subordinates questioned city leaders.

Homeland Security Today: Bill to Improve Interoperable Emergency Communications for First Responders Passed by House

Homeland Security Today: Bill to Improve Interoperable Emergency Communications for First Responders Passed by House: The State Wide Interoperable Communications Enhancement Act, or SWIC Enhancement Act (HR 2206), passed by the House would require states to have a Statewide Interoperability Coordinator (SWIC) or to delegate activities related to achieving interoperability to other individuals.

Homeland Security Today: NEW - Unlocking Interoperability: What It Means for Next-Generation Public Safety Communications

Homeland Security Today: NEW - Unlocking Interoperability: What It Means for Next-Generation Public Safety Communications - Robert Stack: You can’t go 60 seconds in a conversation about public safety communications without someone using the word “interoperability.” Plus, the number of interpretations—and misinterpretations—of what “interoperability" actually means is directly related to the number of participants in the conversation. That’s because “interoperability” means something different to the many facets in the industry.

Friendly Fire 'Kills' Allied Troops During NATO War Games in Germany / Sputnik International

Friendly Fire 'Kills' Allied Troops During NATO War Games in Germany / Sputnik International: "It's more than material. There are cognitive, procedural, and then technical aspects. We've got to all be on the same cognitive framework, we've got to have procedures on how to do things, and then there’s a technical solution."

Nontechnical Factors Determine Interoperability | SIGNAL Magazine

Nontechnical Factors Determine Interoperability | SIGNAL Magazine: Matching bytes and bandwidth is only the beginning for international coalitions.

Whither Interoperability?

With Friends in Government, Motorola Beats a Path to Telecom Supremacy: From the nation’s capital to the Pacific Coast, government officials have handed the company noncompetitive contracts, used modifications of years-old contracts to acquire new systems or crafted bid specifications to Motorola’s advantage. These officials, perhaps without recognizing their collective role, have helped stunt the very competition that’s needed to hold down prices and assure the most efficient use of government dollars.

FirstNet

FirstNet Moves Forward, But Hurdles Remain: The logic behind creating a nationwide broadband network for first responders is simple. Deploy a high-speed wireless communications system so that federal, state and local emergency response personnel can share data, do their jobs more efficiently and save more lives in the process.

Maximizing use of FirstNet network is critical to ongoing feasibility

Morgan O'Brien is arguably the smartest man existent when it comes to the wireless business.  He has also invested a considerable amount of money and time in planning for public safety broadband.

Maximizing use of FirstNet network is critical to ongoing feasibility: "FirstNet's first steps, as reflected in the reports and proposals from their Denver meeting in February, show just the blend of boldness and caution that this project demands. This is shaping up to be much more than a "glass half-full." Give credit to NTIA and the strong, diverse team of players they have recruited to undertake this task of unprecedented scale and complexity."

Defense News

$7 Billion Disconnect: FirstNet Aims to Get First Responders Talking 12 Years After 9/11: After 11 years and billions of homeland-security dollars spent since 9/11, Winchester’s plight remains maddeningly common. With radio systems set up town by town, county by county and state by state — sometimes even department by department — America’s police and fire departments are still awash in a sea of networks and frequencies that often can’t communicate with each other.

Las Vegas Metro PD Radio System

Las Vegas police dump problem radio system: On Oct. 11, Gillespie informed the CEO of the Harris Corp. that his company's Desert Sky radio system cannot meet his department's needs. That's a sharp change from past statements and advice to officers to remain patient while system bugs are fixed.

Pentagon shutters Joint Tactical Radio System program office - Nextgov.com

Pentagon shutters Joint Tactical Radio System program office: After struggling for 15 years to develop a software-based radio for all four services at a cost of $15 billion, the Pentagon quietly shut down the Joint Tactical Radio System program office earlier this month and transferred its acquisition functions to the Army.

FCC Puts Local Public-Safety Networks on Hold - WSJ.com

FCC Puts Local Public-Safety Networks on Hold (subscription): Federal regulators affirmed Tuesday that most cities and states planning to start wireless broadband networks for police and other first responders must wait until a new national public-safety network is operational.

How Obama's visit showed Oakland radios' unreliability

How Obama's visit showed Oakland radios' unreliability: This city's year-old $18 million police radio system failed repeatedly during President Barack Obama's visit to Oakland on Monday and during protests surrounding it.

The FirstNet Board of Directors - Andy Seybold

The FirstNet Board of Directors: These people must be recruited from within the wireless industry, preferably from among those who have “already been there and already done that.” In order to attract the quality of people needed, I believe their compensation level will have to be well beyond Federal Executive Level 4. As an independent authority, FirstNet employees should not report to the NTIA, they should report to the FirstNet board.

Competition Worries Snag Verizon Deal - WSJ.com

Competition Worries Snag Verizon Deal: The Justice Department is holding up Verizon Wireless's $3.9 billion deal to acquire cable-company airwaves over concerns a related agreement will hurt competition for broadband Internet service, according to people familiar with the matter.