APCO International 2013 Conference Recap

Published: September 10, 2013

Communications ServicesContract AwardsFirstNetJustice/Public Safety & Homeland Security

The 2013 Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) conference was held August 18-21 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. The conference included educational training sessions on a variety of important topics that are essential to the public safety communications industry. The training sessions covered nine different tracks: Frontline Telecommunicator; Supervision and Leadership Development; Communications Center Management; Regulatory and Legislative Issues; Emergency Preparedness, Response and Situational Awareness; Radio Technologies, LMR, Spectrum Management; Emerging Technologies and Applications; Current Event and Hot Topics; and NG911 and New Response Technology.

Keynote speakers tied their addresses with themes of this year’s conference: connect, innovate and accelerate. Author and adventure-seeker Erik Weihenmayer spoke about the challenges he’s faced as a blind man and the mountains he’s had to climb, literally.

At the 2012 APCO conference, FirstNet was just coming into fruition with a 12-member FirstNet board being announced. Several months after the event, the entire industry took part in a notice of inquiry for the FirstNet technical architecture. Since receiving more than 100 responses last year, FirstNet and its board have made great strides in turning the idea of a national broadband network into a reality. Initial funding has been allocated in the amount of $7 billion, along with $135 million for a new state and local implementation grant program that will be administered by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).

With a discussion of FirstNet came a lot of sessions on LTE and Land Mobile Radio (LMR). The rise in technological advancements is clear when looking at the features of LMR and LTE, and the provision of new standards and ways to package information with LTE will only increase in the years ahead.

Last month, Deltek and the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT) published the FY 2014 Justice and Public Safety Market Overview, which provides a comprehensive look into spending within the industry since FY 2010 and a forecast for the upcoming fiscal year. Buried in the deep-dive analysis are some key takeaways that provide a glimpse into what government officials and vendors at APCO 2013 are facing.

GovWinIQ subscribers can  read the full Deltek recap of the APCO 2013 Conference. Non-Subscribers can gain access with a free GovWinIQ trial.