Regional Leadership Meeting Scheduled for July 24

​Emergency Communication Network's next Regional Leadership meeting is scheduled for Monday, July 24, 2017 at the MnDOT Conference Center (3725 12th Street North, St. Cloud).

The meetings are held three times per year and are an opportunity for the leadership of each region to share and learn from one another. Although we do set an agenda, it is a work in progress and your ideas for discussion are always welcome. We hope regional leaders -- both formal and informal -- can set aside time to take part in this event.

If you are interested in attending, please RSVP to Jim Stromberg at james.stromberg@state.mn.us.

Work Group Reviews Minnesota’s FirstNet State Plan

An important review is underway this week as a work group takes a deeper look at the State Plan that FirstNet released to Minnesota last month.

Members include emergency communications experts from across the state. They will compare that State Plan to a summary document they created during meetings last fall. The work group will review technical, business, operations and user requirements of both documents to ensure that the dedicated wireless broadband network would offer the resources that Minnesota public safety personnel need.

Members will then submit comments to FirstNet, who has until late September to deliver a final State Plan. After that, Gov. Dayton has 90 days to decide whether or not Minnesota will opt-in or opt-out of the network.

Minnesota receives FirstNet State Plan

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After much anticipation, FirstNet released State Plans which detail what the dedicated wireless broadband network would look like for Minnesota’s public safety professionals. ECN staff is going through that plan as part of a 45-day review process. The plan comes after FirstNet and AT&T announced a partnership to build the network earlier this year. Two initial takeaways from the review process include:

• AT&T is offering Priority and Preemption on their entire network by the end of the year, which was more than FirstNet asked for.
• AT&T is stressing consultation with the states in offering existing infrastructure to get the best network possible. 

So, what’s next? In July, ECN staff, along with Minnesota’s FirstNet workgroups and public safety partners will review the State Plan and submit comments. This includes evaluating the State Plan against the requirements that Minnesota’s FirstNet workgroups put together last fall. After FirstNet receives those comments, they have until late September to deliver the final State Plan. A 90 day review process will follow before Gov. Dayton will consider whether Minnesota will opt-in or opt-out of the network in December.

The State of 911 in Minnesota

Minnesota recently participated in a comprehensive survey that gathered data on the state of the 911 system in 46 states. The 2016 National 911 Progress Report details which states are making strides in planning for and implementing Next Generation 911 (NG911) services.

Minnesota is among the early adopters of NG911 technology that will make statewide Text-to-911 a reality by the end of 2017. NG911 technology is a priority here: As of 2014, all 104 of Minnesota’s 911 dispatch centers are connected to the next generation Emergency Services IP Network. Review Minnesota’s ongoing NG911 initiatives and projects.

The 2016 National 911 Progress Report was compiled by the National 911 Program, which is housed at the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), a part of the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT).