Yesterday, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) adopted an Order that establishes new rules to facilitate the deployment of Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG9-1-1). The focus of the Order is on the call delivery portion of NG9‑1‑1. Service providers will be required to deliver 9-1-1 traffic, including routing and location information, in an IP-based format to one or more points specified by a state or local 9-1-1 authority that meets certain readiness criteria. The Order affords significant deference to state and local public safety officials to designate the point(s) of delivery and indicate their readiness. The FCC also specifies that service providers will be responsible for associated costs and testing.
Read APCO's full statement

Today APCO completed its nearly 21-month-long renovation and expansion of the APCO International Headquarters in Daytona Beach, Florida. The project broke ground in October 2022 and included a 4,700-square-foot addition onto the east side of the existing building to allow for additional offices, meeting rooms, and a doubling of the existing conference and training room space. Throughout the process APCO kept members updated through a series of “Rick the Builder” videos. APCO is extremely proud of this project and excited to conclude it today with a dedication ceremony at headquarters. We look forward to using the new space to reinvest in our membership and continue to provide industry-leading training. Please enjoy the final installment of Rick the Builder.

The new wing is dedicated to APCO’s Chief Administrative Officer, Ricky Marshall. We thank him for spearheading this project.

The conference room is dedicated to APCO’s previous executive director, Derek K. Poarch for his commitment to APCO during his tenure.

On July 10, the FCC adopted an Order on Reconsideration that rejected a petition from the Competitive Carriers Association (CCA) to reconsider its rules regarding 9-1-1 outage reporting. Among other things, CCA sought to weaken the requirement that carriers notify 9-1-1 centers within 30 minutes of discovering an outage. CCA asked for more flexibility in how quickly their member carriers notify ECCs and argued that carriers should not be responsible for notifying ECCs of outages that occur in third-party networks. Several other commercial wireless industry representatives supported CCA’s request. APCO filed in opposition, explaining that the FCC had already addressed CCA’s arguments and highlighting the importance of ensuring that 9-1-1 centers are promptly notified of outages. The FCC agreed with APCO’s arguments and denied CCA’s petition.

Monday, July 22, is the last day to register for a pre-conference course at APCO 2024. Choose from Cybersecurity Fundamentals for the ECC or Bullying and Negativity in the Communications Center, 2nd Edition. Both courses take place on Saturday, August 3, in Orlando, Florida, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The registration fee for APCO members is $230 and $280 for non-members. Seats are limited.
Learn more

The APCO Institute is seeking dynamic, seasoned emergency communications professionals to join the APCO Adjunct Instructor Corps to teach virtual, online and in-person courses to public safety practitioners. Applicants must demonstrate an excellent understanding of the subject matter and exceptional professionalism.
Learn more

Douglas Regional 9-1-1, Colorado, has received Agency Training Program Certification, a Project 33® Initiative. Public safety agencies use the APCO International Agency Training Program Certification as a formal mechanism to ensure their training programs meet APCO American National Standards (ANS). Initial and continuing training for public safety telecommunicators is important as they provide essential services to the public in an expanding and rapidly changing environment.
Read more

Seats are available in the following APCO Virtual Classroom courses starting soon:

• 8/12 - 8/16: Public Safety Telecommunicator 1, 7th Edition (40 CDEs)
• 8/20 - 8/21: Fundamentals of Tactical Dispatch (16 CDEs)
• 8/28 - 10/1: Communications Center Manager, 1st Edition (24 CDEs)
• 8/29: Crisis Negotiations (8 CDEs)

The following online courses have space available:

• 8/21 - 9/10: Active Shooter Incidents for Public Safety Communications, 2nd Edition (8 CDEs)
• 7/24 -  8/27: Communications Center Manager (24 CDEs)
• 8/14 -  9/24: Fire Service Communications, 3rd Edition (32 CDEs)
• 8/21 -  9/10: Customer Service in Today’s Public Safety Communications (8 CDEs)

Prefer in-person training? Consider an upcoming live course:

• 8/3 - Orlando, FL: Bullying and Negativity in the Communication Center, 2nd Edition (8 CDEs) (Register by 7/22)
• 8/3 - Orlando, FL: Cybersecurity Fundamentals for the ECC (8 CDEs) (Register by 7/22)
• 8/20 - 8/21 - Pontiac, MI: Fundamentals of Next Generation 9-1-1 (16 CDEs)
• 9/10 - 9/11 - Forsyth, GA: Fundamentals of Next Generation 9-1-1 (16 CDEs)

See all upcoming courses

Federal Engineering Teams With CityScape Consultants for Borough of Franklin Park Project