PUBLIC NOTICE Federal Communications Commission 445 12th St., S.W. Washington, D.C. 20554 News Media Information 202 / 418-0500 Internet: http://www.fcc.gov TTY: 1-888-835-5322 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: DA 12-538 Released: April 3, 2012 TECHNICAL ADVISORY BOARD FOR FIRST RESPONDER INTEROPERABILITY ANNOUNCES PUBLIC WORKSHOP SCHEDULED FOR APRIL 23, 2012 PS Docket 12-74 Washington, DC – By this Public Notice, on behalf of the Technical Advisory Board for First Responder Interoperability (Interoperability Board), the Federal Communications Commission (Commission) announces that there will be a public workshop on April 23, 2012 from 8:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. at Commission headquarters, 445 12th St, SW, Washington, D.C., 20554. The purpose of this workshop is to collect additional input on topic areas which the Interoperability Board has determined are relevant to the development of minimum technical requirements to ensure a nationwide level of interoperability for the nationwide public safety broadband network. The Interoperability Board was established under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Spectrum Act) to develop recommended minimum interoperability requirements for a nationwide public safety broadband network.1 Pursuant to the Spectrum Act, the Interoperability Board must submit these recommendations to the Commission by May 22, 2012.2 The Commission must then transmit these recommendations with possible revisions to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), the entity the Spectrum Act charges with overseeing the development of the network.3 The Spectrum Act then requires FirstNet to incorporate the recommended requirements, without material change, into its Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to construct, operate and manage the network.4 The workshop will consist of four, 45-minute moderated panel discussions. The first panel discussion will focus on the scope (as described below) the Interoperability Board has established for its work. The Interoperability Board is interested in receiving comments on the appropriateness of the scope, areas which should be added, deleted or expanded, and why such action should be taken. 1 See Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 § 6203(c)(1), Pub. L. No. 112-96, 126 Stat. 156 (2012). 2 Id. 3 Id. § 6203(c)(3). 4 Id. § 6206(b)(1)(B). 2 The second panel discussion will focus on: 1. Relevant standards, interfaces and guidelines (e.g. 3GPP, OMA, etc.), including those for network services and subnetwork mobility; 2. Requirements relevant to user equipment and device management; 3. Requirements relevant to maintaining interoperability as the broadband network evolves; and 4. Requirements relevant to conformance, interoperability and performance testing. The third session will focus on interoperability requirements associated with: 1. Grade(s) of Service provided by the broadband network, covering such topics as data rates, coverage (including between networks or network segments), session persistence and Radio Frequency planning; 2. Prioritization and Quality of Service; and 3. Mobility and Handover. The fourth session will be conducted to receive comments specific to security of the network. Individuals interested in presenting during any of the panel discussions are asked to submit a request by email to the Interoperability Board through FCC Public Safety Homeland Security Bureau Deputy Chief Jennifer Manner at jennifer.manner@fcc.gov no later than April 13, 2012. Requests must include a detailed description of the input the requestor wishes to provide during the workshop. These descriptions will be used by the Interoperability Board to set the final agenda for the workshop. The workshop will be open to the public; however, admittance will be limited to the seating available. Individuals interested in attending this event must pre-register on-line at http://www.fcc.gov/pshs/event- registration.html, where they will be asked to provide their name, title, organization affiliation, and contact information. Individuals may also contact Deandrea Wilson at Deandrea.Wilson@fcc.gov or via phone at 202-418-0703 regarding pre-registration. The deadline for pre-registration is April 20, 2012. Audio/video coverage of the forum will be broadcast live with open captioning over the Internet from the FCC's web page at www.fcc.gov/live. The FCC’s webcast is free to the public. Those who watch the live video stream of the event may email event-related questions to livequestions@fcc.gov. Depending on the volume of questions and time constraints, the panel moderators will work to respond to as many questions as possible during the workshop. Reasonable accommodations for persons with disabilities are available upon request. Please include a description of the accommodation you will need. Individuals making such requests must include their contact information should FCC staff need to contact them for more information. Requests should be made as early as possible. Please send an e-mail to fcc504@fcc.gov or call the Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau: 202-418-0530 (voice), 202-418-0432 (TTY). At the request of the Interoperability Board, the Commission has also established a public docket, PS Docket 12-74, in which parties may submit materials for the Interoperability Board’s consideration. A transcript of this Workshop will be made available in PS Docket 12-74. For additional information about the meeting, please contact Jennifer A. Manner, Deputy Chief, Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, at 202-418-3619 or jennifer.manner@fcc.gov. - FCC -