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Introduction to Broadband Training Course

August 6, 2011
APCO International Conference and Expo
Philadelphia, PA

What is it?

SEARCH will be conducting a one-day training course targeted to mid-level public safety managers active in their department's communications operations, including 9-1-1 operations. This training may also appeal to higher-level public safety executives. Attendees are expected to have an active role in planning and/or implementing their agency's migration to broadband technologies; however, any public safety attendee would benefit from the course. The course is sponsored by the National Institute for Emergency Communications (NIEC). It's being offered at no cost to APCO Conference attendees.

This is a great opportunity for you to take advantage of this pre-conference training! For more information, visit the APCO Conference website.

Where is it?

APCO International Conference and Expo
Philadelphia, PA

Who can attend?

The target audience is those APCO Conference attendees who have an active role in planning and/or implementing their agency's migration to broadband technologies. There are currently no prerequisites identified for students taking this course.

What will attendees learn?

Broadband—high-speed mobile data networks—has been identified as an emerging technological capability with significant near- and long-term impacts on public safety agencies nationwide. Whereas public safety has used wired and fixed-link wireless broadband data services, the world of true mobile broadband services is new and developing at a rapid pace. Recent national events, including the allocation and basic operational rules for spectrum dedicated for public safety, present a mix of unknown capabilities, opportunities, and challenges. These developments also provide a distinct potential for sharing spectrum, services, facilities, and capability with commercial service providers. The potential to develop systems that facilitate interoperability to support multi-discipline and multi-regional responders is unprecedented. But developing a strategy to manage this migration to broadband is a complex process facing the public safety communications community.

In response, NIEC has developed an Introduction to Broadband course. It is intended to be a high-level introductory course that will provide attendees a general understanding of the broadband landscape and its impact on public safety. The course will realistically address agencies' current status, needs, and impacts, while considering the challenges this emerging technology presents. The knowledge gained from this course will help agencies make better informed decisions as users begin to share the future of their public safety communications networks with broadband.

During the course, students will explore broadband, its definitions, and the many ways in which it applies to public safety operations, including fixed (wired), wireless (non-mobile), and mobile (wireless). They will learn the basic capabilities, technologies, and services supported by wireless networks, including Land Mobile Radio (LMR), Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and wireless broadband commercial wireless services. The course will address 4.9 GHz and 700 MHz frequency band operations, and students will discuss and engage in an interactive exercise to develop a process that assesses local requirements and limitations, along with basic available technology capabilities, in order to determine appropriate localized solutions for future planning decisions.

Course Topics Include:

• Broadband defined
• Broadband's role and its evolution in public safety communications
• How various networks and systems perform
• Considerations for joint/shared systems and interoperability
• Implementation and operational cost considerations
• The components of effective planning
• A look at regional efforts