Asserting APCO’s Leadership Role in Public Safety Communications
The Government Relations Office (GRO) establishes and maintains relationships with Congress, federal agencies, the Administration, industry leaders, and national public safety and governmental organizations to advocate for the policies, regulations, and legislation of most importance to APCO members.
APCO Applauds FCC Action Securing the 4.9 GHz Band for Public Safety
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a long-anticipated Report and Order concerning licensing and use of the 4.9 GHz band. Most importantly, the FCC ensured that the band will be reserved for public safety use and emphasized the importance of protecting existing incumbent operations and incentivizing technical innovation within the band.
Improving Emergency Communications Resiliency
May 16, 2022 | 1:00 – 2:00 p.m. ET –
Free for members and non-members
No CDEs offered for this webinar.
During disasters and other outages impacting the ability of the public to reach 9‑1‑1, network resiliency is key to public safety. Join us to hear about the role of the FCC in ensuring network resiliency and perspectives from state and local 9‑1‑1 leaders.
NG9-1-1 Presentation
This slide deck contains talking points on why federal funding is needed for Next Generation 9-1-1. We’re making it available for public safety communications professionals to use as a resource in their advocacy efforts.
News from APCO's Government Relations Office
Keep up to date with the GRO team by following the TabletopX blog, written by APCO’s Government Relations team.
APCO Applauds FCC Action Securing the 4.9 GHz Band for Public Safety
Today, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted a long-anticipated Report and Order concerning licensing and use of the 4.9 GHz band.
Public Safety Officials Urge Congress to Enact Legislation to Fund Next Generation 9-1-1 at Capitol Hill Event
On September 17, the Public Safety Next Generation 9-1-1 Coalition, consisting of APCO and the nation’s leading national public safety associations, held a summit on Capitol Hill demonstrating the urgency for Congress to fully fund the transition of today’s aging and vulnerable 9-1-1 networks to a modern, secure, interoperable and innovative Next Generation 9-1-1 system throughout all areas of the United States.
APCO Leadership Meets With Senator Blackburn to Urge Funding for NG9-1-1
On September 17, APCO Regional Representative Paul McCallister met with Senator Blackburn (R-TN) and her staff to raise awareness of the need to fully fund NG9-1-1 nationwide.
APCO and NENA Ask Harris, Trump Campaigns to Support NG9-1-1 Funding and Nationwide Implementation
Today, APCO International and NENA: The 9-1-1 Association sent joint letters to the presidential campaigns of Vice President Kamala Harris and Governor Tim Walz, and former President Donald Trump and Senator J.D. Vance, inviting a campaign pledge to support full federal funding for the nationwide implementation of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1).
Issues
9-1-1
APCO is a recognized and well-respected leader when it comes to legislative and regulatory efforts directed at improving 9-1-1 services.
9-1-1 Location Accuracy
APCO has advocated for sensible improvements aimed at ensuring that ECCs receive actionable location information.
4.9 GHz
APCO joined with eleven other public safety associations on a press release strongly criticizing the change that would cause problems for emergency communications.
6 GHz
APCO advocates that sharing the 6GHz band with large numbers of unlicensed devices should only occur if appropriate measures are in place to prevent, identify and eliminate interference to public safety’s systems.
FirstNet
APCO played a key role in leading an extensive and successful lobbying effort to secure passage of the legislation creating the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet).
IP Transition
APCO efforts promote the transition of the nation’s communications networks to IP-based technologies, while ensuring preservation of certain important values including public safety.
Mobile Apps
In the rapidly-developing field of mobile apps designed for public safety and emergency response, APCO seeks to to ensure these tools are as safe and effective as possible.
SOC Revision
APCO continues its work to classify public safety telecommunicators as a “protective” occupation, given the stress, training, and life-saving nature of their tasks.
