It is with great pleasure that I write to you today in recognition of the monumental achievement by APCO International’s members and supporters. Last night, President Obama signed in to law H.R. 3630; Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Title VI of the legislation creates a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network (PSBN) that will revolutionize the way we do our work for years to come.
Working together with the Public Safety Alliance and our partners in the industry and the Big 7 state and local government associations, APCO International’s members achieved something many had claimed to be impossible. Against all odds and countless obstacles, we succeeded in getting legislation enacted last night that allocates D Block spectrum to public safety, provides $7 billion in funding, and establishes a governing body that will ensure the build out of a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network.
In addition, the legislation goes a long way in advancing next generation 9-1-1 services by providing $115 million in grants to upgrade our 9-1-1 infrastructure to technologies that will make it possible for Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) to receive not only voice 9-1-1 calls, but also text, video, data, and images. The 9-1-1 grants can be used for the implementation and operation of 9-1-1, E 9-1-1, migration to IP-enabled emergency network, adoption and operation of NG 9-1-1 services, and training of public safety communications personnel.
We are truly at the nexus of realizing the benefits that advanced communications technology has to offer to better serve and protect our communities. Today, I am proud to say we made history and it is my belief that we changed public safety communications forever.
We have a lot to celebrate today, but above all we need to celebrate APCO’s leadership in advancing public safety issues in our nation’s capital.
Thank you for your service and support of APCO International.
Sincerely,
Gregg Riddle
President, APCO International
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment