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The countdown is on! We're unveiling the much-awaited PSAP of the Future next week at IWCE, and we don't want you to miss it. This innovative solution leverages the latest cutting-edge technologies to improve emergency response times by providing first responders with critical information in real-time, which can help them quickly and accurately assess an emergency situation and dispatch resources. This self-guided, interactive journey will take you through every stage of an NG911 call in progress following the flow from incident to response, showcasing the innovative technologies and solutions from iCERT Members, Carbyne, DATAMARK, Eventide, Exacom SecuLore, Mission Critical Partners, NGA, Pulsiam, Sinch, Valid8, and Zetron. This is an incredible opportunity to be a part of the future of emergency response and see firsthand how technology can make a difference. Join us in exploring the transformative potential of the PSAP of the Future. See you at Booth 1023 in Orlando!

More than 5,000 key players in the mission-critical and business-critical communications industries are expected to attend IWCE 2024 at the Orange County Convention Center. This unique event offers four days of content and networking and two days of exhibits to explore. Conference: March 25-28 Exhibits: March 27-28 Along with 300 expert speakers and 320 sponsors and exhibitors, IWCE 2024 attendees can visit the PSAP of the Future centrally located at Booth # 1023 in the exhibit hall for the first time. iCERT Members, plan to join us for a special Happy Hour on Tuesday, March 26, at the Rocks Lounge in the Hyatt Lobby.

This week, the 911 community gathered in Washington, DC, for the annual 911 Goes To Washington (GTW) fly-in. iCERT members came out in force and made their presence felt. It was, once again, great to see iCERT members making the trip to DC and fanning out across Capitol Hill for meetings with members of Congress. In addition to hitting the Hill, a large number of iCERT members came out to celebrate two iCERT members who were honored at the annual NG911 Institute’s Honor Awards. Mary Boyd was honored with the Carla Anderson “Heart of 911” Award, and Jeff Wittek of Motorola Solutions, Inc. was honored as the 911 Industry Professional of the Year. Several iCERT member company representatives participated as presenters in the Honor Awards ceremony. Overall, this year’s iCERT presence at GTW was outstanding and created the momentum we can continue to build on. Thanks to all who made the trip to our nation’s capital to lobby on our industry priorities.

Have you heard about the PSAP of the Future? Imagine an innovative solution that leverages the latest technologies to improve emergency response times and save lives. This game-changer is the PSAP of the Future. With features like satellite communications, AI language translation, next-generation core services, texting image and video transmissions, and real-time data analytics, emergency responders can quickly and accurately assess a situation, dispatch the appropriate resources, and provide critical information to those in need. By analyzing data gathered from various sources, including voice-and-data aggregations, CAD systems, and situational awareness dashboards, it can be integrated with other data from closely related emergencies, allowing responders to better predict and allocate resources where they are most needed. Join us in exploring the transformative potential of the PSAP of the Future. Check it out at Booth #1023 at IWCE for an immersive experience where you can drop into an NG911 call in progress and follow the flow from incident to response using emerging and advanced technologies from iCERT member companies. This self-guided, interactive journey will take you through every stage of an NG911 call, showcasing the innovative technologies and solutions behind the calls. It will direct you to iCERT members exhibiting at IWCE, allowing you to follow up with those making it happen directly at the expo. The people providing the technology will answer any questions about their NG911 products and services. PSAP of the Future is a vision of handling emergency communications as a highly complex and integrated technology ecosystem. Developed in collaboration with consultants, vendors, and 911 authorities alike, 911 professionals are taking a holistic approach to designing and implementing these futuristic systems to interoperate seamlessly to revolutionize emergency response.

Today, a bipartisan group of nine former chairs of the Federal Communications Commission called on Congress to make nationwide deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1 a national priority and to provide Federal funding that is critically needed.  In a letter to leaders of the U.S. House and Senate, they noted the strong national consensus for investments in broadband communications technologies and the critical gap in comparable investments in our nation’s 911 systems.  On behalf of the emergency response industry, iCERT echoes this call for action and wishes to thank these dedicated public servants for their leadership on behalf of our nation.

Earlier today, iCERT joined with other organizations on a letter to Congress in support of FCC Spectrum Auction revenues being used to fully fund Next Generation 911. In addition to iCERT, the following organizations signed on; National Association of Counties (NACo), National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners (NARUC), National Association of State Utility Consumer Advocates (NASUCA), National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA), National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC), NENA: The 9-1-1 Association, Urban and Regional Information Systems Association (URISA), and World Institute on Disability (WID). Click the button to read the full letter.

Happy New Year iCERT Members! I hope you all had an enjoyable holiday season as we wrapped up 2023. This year looks to be another great year for iCERT, but first, we wanted to share a few highlights from this past year. iCERT enjoyed success in 2023 while also continuing to grow and build in many areas. As we begin 2024, we will continue to build upon our successes. Throughout 2023, we engaged with iCERT members in many ways, ranging from our two successful member meetings (our virtual Cybersecurity focused meeting in May and in-person in DC in November) to our increasingly popular iCERT happy hours at the IWCE, NENA, and APCO conferences. Our sponsorship program continued to see growth in 2023. Last year more iCERT member companies saw the value generated through sponsorship of iCERT events. This support will be key to iCERT’s ability to continue delivering top quality member value and content in 2024 and beyond. There will be great opportunities throughout 2024 to support iCERT events. Stay tuned for announcements soon regarding details about our 2024 member meetings (Hint: LA in May and DC in November/ December). Additionally, iCERT’s committees and work groups continue to thrive and engage in productive work, serving as thought leaders on behalf of the association. However, as always, new members for committees are always welcome. Currently, there are opportunities for additional committee members on the Marketing Committee, Member Meeting Planning Committee, as well as on the Innovation & Technology Committee. If you or a colleague are interested, please reach out and we’ll be happy to connect you to the respective Committee or Work Group leaders. On the advocacy front, 2023 saw iCERT continue to grow its profile in Washington and strengthen its presence with key federal agencies. On Capitol Hill, we continued to make progress on our top priority of securing funding for full deployment of NG911. iCERT was a key player in helping unanimously pass the bipartisan Spectrum Auction Reauthorization Act (which included up to $15 Billion in funding for NG911, and memorialized consensus language) through the House Energy & Commerce Committee. Additionally, throughout 2023 we engaged and coordinated with more iCERT members, as well as external partners alike, on legislative and regulatory priorities. Specifically, we continued to maintain productive working relationships with the Public Safety NG911 Coalition, NENA, NASNA, and APCO, and worked to grow the list of partner organizations to include county and municipal groups, as well as utility regulators and others. This show of unity has been hugely important on this key issue which we all share as a top priority. iCERT also increased its advocacy at the FCC, especially on issues related to NG911.  We begin 2024 with momentum and a renewed effort to push forward, as we expect this year to be action packed, not only potentially on iCERT’s issues, but most certainly with tangential issues, as well as the elections. We will be providing updates as developments warrant, but if you or your company would like to be more engaged in our advocacy efforts, please reach out to either Don Brittingham or myself. Lastly, make plans to join iCERT in Washington, DC for the annual 911 Goes To Washington fly-in, the week of February 26th. Last year we had a solid showing of iCERT member companies walking the halls of Congress and this year we want to do better. More information will be forthcoming as we get closer. Last, but not least iCERT’s first major event of 2024 will take place during the 2024 IWCE show in Orlando in late March. In addition to this year’s first of our very popular iCERT Happy Hours, iCERT along with over a dozen of our member companies will be co-hosting the PSAP of the Future, experience. The PSAP of the Future will be an immersive 40x20 exhibit space located at the center of the IWCE show floor, which will take visitors through a vivid NG911 experience. Make plans to join iCERT in Orlando for IWCE. Details regarding the iCERT Happy Hour will be forthcoming soon. Again, Happy New Year and thanks for your continued support of iCERT. We look forward to continuing to work with each of you and to making 2024 another great year for iCERT! Take care, George Kelemen

iCERT’s Board of Directors recently approved the 2024 Policy Platform, renewing the association’s commitment to advance State and Federal policies that promote widespread adoption of advanced technologies and standards that improve emergency response and increase the public’s safety.

iCERT is thrilled to welcome Mary Boyd back to its Board of Directors. Boyd brings a wealth of experience and expertise to the table, and we are confident that she will once again make valuable contributions to our organization and help us achieve our goals. Mary Boyd is a subject matter expert and consultant in 911-related issues, serving 40 years in the public safety space. She spent 24 years with Intrado and was formerly Vice President of Regulatory, Policy, and External Affairs for Intrado Life & Safety. Boyd's numerous contributions to public safety communications include active participation in FCC 911 regulatory proceedings and was instrumental in the adoption of landmark FCC 911 rules such as Docket 94-102, which established wireless call routing requirements; VoIP 911 proceedings; Text to 911; MLTS and 911 Dispatchable Location requirements. She has also served as a subject matter expert on 911 issues with Congress, the FCC, State 911 Authorities, and Regulatory Boards. She has served on many national forums, has co-authored publications, is a frequent speaker at public safety events, and has been recognized nationally for her accomplishments. Boyd has held many voluntary board positions with public safety associations, including previously serving on the iCERT Board of Directors and Executive Committee, as well as being a Past President of the National Emergency Number Association (NENA), a founding member of the National Association of State 911 Administrators (NASNA), a former member of ATIS/NRSC, and has served many roles with FCC Advisory Boards including numerous CSRIC initiatives related to 911. Boyd's consulting company, Mary A. Boyd & Associates LLC, is based in Texas and has experience ranging from extensive PSAP knowledge to State 911 Program management. When she is not working on her public safety efforts, Boyd is the Mayor of the City of Comanche, Texas, and Founder of Gateway of Hope, which is a maternity home for expectant mothers and their children. Mary also has grown children and is a mother to a 3-year-old. She holds an undergraduate degree from St. Edwards University, Austin, TX, and has completed advanced studies at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University. Please join us in congratulating Mary Boyd and welcoming her back to the iCERT board. We are excited to have her back on board and look forward to working together again to make a positive impact.

iCERT recently submitted a letter of support for H.R. 6319, the “Supporting Accurate Views of Emergency Services Act of 2023” (“9-1-1 SAVES Act”). Visit the link below to read the full letter.

WASHINGTON, DC, UNITED STATES, November 2, 2023 /EINPresswire.com/ -- The Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies, Inc. (iCERT), the nation’s only trade association composed exclusively of commercial public safety technology and response organizations, has elected its Board Officers, which comprise its Executive Committee, for 2024. Click below to read the full press release.

The House today elected Rep. Mike Johnson (R-LA) as the 56th Speaker, bringing an end to an intraparty stalemate after the ouster of then-Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) over three weeks ago. Now that the paralysis in the House appears to have been resolved, we can expect work on passing a government funding bill by November 17th, as well as legislation related to the wars in Ukraine and Israel to take priority through November. iCERT will seek to build relationships with Speaker Johnson and his team as we continue our efforts to pass NG911 funding legislation. As reported a few weeks ago, the prospects for Congressional action this year appear unlikely at this time due to the priorities mentioned above, as well as unsettled questions over spectrum policy since spectrum auctions are the preferred funding source. Additionally, an unfavorable DoD report on the Lower 3 GHz band and a National Spectrum Strategy that has not yet been finalized also point to 2024 as being the earliest we should expect any action on either spectrum or NG911. In the meantime, iCERT intends to continue its advocacy efforts to educate Members of Congress on the benefits of NG911 and its critical importance to national security. Over the next few months, we expect to build a stronger coalition of support with key public safety and state/local government organizations. Additionally, there will be discussions regarding our initial plans for next year’s advocacy push during next week’s iCERT Fall Member Meeting.