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areas have access to the Internet. Te FCC is proposing to financially sup- port only those areas that are extremely rural and have minimal access in broadband (subject to a challenge process) — i.e. broadband speeds that are at or below 3 Mbps (download) and 768 Kbps (upload). Te FCC is seeking expressions of interest from entities willing to de-
ploy “robust scalable broadband to high-cost areas” by March 7. (High- cost areas are usually very rural areas). Te FCC released a list of census tracts in rural areas potentially suitable for this type of experiment. Te order encourages participation from as many entities as possible including state and regional authorities, municipalities, research and edu- cation networks, and multi-stakeholder groups. Potential applicants need not be an eligible telecommunications carrier (ETC) at the time of the application but must obtain ETC designation after being selected for a funding award. Tis also means that entities selected to receive funding must offer voice telephony service at reasonably comparable rates as part of the experiment.
Expressions of interest should include: n nature of the submitting entity or entities (telephone provider, mu-
nicipality, utility, etc.); n broadband technology to be deployed; n contemplated service offerings and their pricing; n if known, expected state and/or local government participation in — and/or support for — the projects (e.g. expedited permitting, access to
rights of way, matching funds, etc.) and; n whether the proposal is expected to require one-time or continued funding and a high-level estimate of the amount requested. A formal proposal stage will follow the current expression of interest
stage. Counties evolve 911 in the Internet, smartphone age
By Charles Taylor 911 callers in Union County, N.C. can use their smartphones to send photos or video to the county’s emergency communications center. Union County, N.C. has launched a new generation of 911 technology
that allows mobile phone callers to send images and video to the county’s emergency communications center.
It’s already proved its value several times since it debuted Dec. 6 last
year, including helping to locate an attempted suicide victim, according to Larry Brinker, the county’s director of emergency communications. A caller to 911 uploaded a photo of a friend who had tried to cut his
wrists. “We sent a picture to EMS so that they could look at the wounds, and then we sent to picture to law enforcement so they could keep a lookout for the person,” he said. “Tey were successful of finding him within a couple of hours of the
call.” Here’s how it works. A mobile phone or smartphone caller dials 911; if they have additional content to transmit with the call, the call taker sends them a link via text message. After clicking it, they can upload an image or short video from their phone. It all occurs while still on the phone with the 911 operator. “As for incoming text and video, it’s all controlled by the dispatcher, because you can’t send in anything until I as the dispatcher send you a link,” Brinker said. Tat prevents random data from being transmitted without proper identifying information. As the migration from landline to mobile-only phone users continues, 911 call centers — public safety answering points (PSAP), in industry lingo — will need to be able to receive their communications seamlessly. Generically speaking, Union County’s is “next generation 911” (NG9- 1-1) technology — or more accurately a “new” generation, according to officials with the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), the NG9-1-1 standards-setting entity. NG9-1-1 has a specific definition and established technical standards, which lay a foundation for more wide- spread adoption of systems like Union County’s. NENA, working with industry and governments, began developing the technical requirements for Next Gen 9-1-1more than a decade ago. Te Federal Communications Commission defines NG9-1-1 as a sys-
tem architecture to enable a transition to a broadband digital, Internet Protocol (IP)-based foundation for the delivery of multimedia 911 “calls” or “events,” as they’re coming to be known — since they won’t strictly be traditional voice calls. Tat information could include automatic-crash- notification data from cars equipped to transmit it, sensory alarms and building monitoring data, all of which could aide in emergency response.
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