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.
Meet the Government Relations Team
Jeffrey Cohen is Chief Counsel and Director of Government Relations at APCO International. In this capacity, Jeff provides strategic guidance on policy, legislative, and regulatory matters to advance the association’s work on public safety and emergency communications. Prior to joining APCO, Jeff served as a detailee from the Federal Communications Commission to the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House of Representatives Energy and Commerce Committee. While on the Hill, Jeff was one of the authors of the FirstNet public safety legislation enacted in February 2012. At the FCC, Jeff was Senior Legal Counsel to the Chief of the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau. Before his move to the federal government, Jeff was a partner at the Washington, DC telecommunications law firm of Wilkinson Barker Knauer, LLP, where he worked over ten years on wireless regulatory matters since graduating from the George Washington University Law School with honors in 1994. Jeff also holds a B.S. cum laude in electrical engineering from the George Washington University. Jeff is a recipient of the FCC’s Silver Medal Award, APCO’s Leadership in Regulatory Service Award, and the National Emergency Number Association’s Presidential Award. Contact Jeff at cohenj at apcointl.org.
Alison Venable is Government Relations Counsel at APCO International. Alison graduated cum laude from the University of Maryland School of Law with certifications in Cybersecurity and Crisis Management as well as Environmental Law. During law school, Alison worked as a research assistant for the Center for Health and Homeland Security and as an intern in the Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau of the Federal Communications Commission. In her final year of law school, Alison served as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Health Care Law and Policy and received the William P. Cunningham Award for exceptional achievements and service to the school. Prior to law school, Alison volunteered as a Disaster Survivor Assistance Specialist with FEMA Corps, a subset of AmeriCorps, where she aided in obtaining government assistance for victims of flooding in Mississippi, Texas, and Louisiana. Alison graduated from American University in 2015 with a B.A. in International Studies and a certificate in Indian Studies from Manipal University in Manipal, India.
