The Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corporation (PSST) was a non-profit organization which represents the radio spectrum needs of police, fire and ambulance agencies in the United States.
The PSST was selected by the
Federal Communications Commission
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is an independent agency of the United States federal government that regulates communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, and cable across the United States. The FCC maintains jurisdiction ...
(FCC) as the
Public Safety Broadband Licensee
In public relations and communication science, publics are groups of individual people, and the public (a.k.a. the general public) is the totality of such groupings. This is a different concept to the sociological concept of the ''Öffentlichk ...
(PSBL) for the 10 MHz of 700 MHz
public safety nationwide broadband
spectrum
A spectrum (plural ''spectra'' or ''spectrums'') is a condition that is not limited to a specific set of values but can vary, without gaps, across a continuum. The word was first used scientifically in optics to describe the rainbow of colors i ...
.
In 2006, the FCC proposed in Docket 06-229 that they could be used for sharing public safety spectrum with commercial users in former UHF-TV spectrum after the transition to
digital television
Digital television (DTV) is the transmission of television signals using digital encoding, in contrast to the earlier analog television technology which used analog signals. At the time of its development it was considered an innovative advanc ...
. In its August 2007 Docket 06-229 decision, the FCC voted to implement the 700 MHz Public/Private Partnership, an implementation of interoperable spectrum concepts in the 700 MHz band subject to a minimum bid of $1.4 billion in the band auction. It later designated the Public Safety Spectrum Trust to represent public safety interests in this band and negotiate with the auction winner for a mutual agreement on band use and public and private access to it.
The block which was auctioned is commonly referred to as the D Block. Conditions of the auction would have required the winning bidder to fund the build-out of a nationwide broadband interoperable communications system for public safety use in the PSST’s 10 MHz of spectrum. The auction was not successful in attracting a bidder to meet the minimum bid threshold. In addition, the winning bidder would have been required to allow public safety use to preempt commercial use on the D Block during emergencies.
PSST Member Organizations
The board of directors of the PSST is made up of representatives of the following organizations:
*
(AASHTO)
*
American Hospital Association (AHA)
*
(APCO)
*
Forestry Conservation Communications Association (FCCA)
*
International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP)
*
(IAFC)
*
International City/County Management Association
International City/County Management Association (ICMA; originally called the International City Managers' Association) is an association representing professionals in local government management. It is based in Washington, D.C., USA.
ICMA provide ...
(ICMA)
*
International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA)
*
National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NASEMSO)
*
National Association of State 9-1-1 Administrators (NASNA)
*
National Emergency Management Association
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, ce ...
(NEMA)
*
National Emergency Number Association
The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) is an organization whose mission it is to foster the technological advancement, availability, and implementation of a universal emergency telephone number system in the United States. In carrying ou ...
(NENA)
*
National Fraternal Order of Police (NFOP)
*
National Governors Association (NGA)
*
National Sheriffs' Association (NSA)
PSST Executives
* Harlin McEwen (Chairman), IACP
* Kevin McGinnis (Vice-Chairman), NASEMSO
* Alan Caldwell (Secretary-Treasurer), IAFC
PSST Board of Directors
FINAL MEMBERS
* William Brownlow, AASHTO
* John T. Collins, AHA
* Chris Fischer, APCO
* Paul Leary, FCCA
* Harlin McEwen (Chairman), IACP
* Alan Caldwell (Secretary-Treasurer), IAFC
* Mark Ryckman, ICMA
* Douglas Aiken, IMSA
* Kevin McGinnis (Vice-Chairman), NASEMSO
* Richard Taylor, NASNA
* Michael Cline, NEMA
* Rick Galway, NENA
* David Hiller, NFOP
* Ray Lehr, NGA
* Paul Fitzgerald, NSA
PAST MEMBERS
*Jason Barbour, NENA
*John Contestabile, NGA
*Craig Jorgenson, APCO
References
{{Reflist
External links
Official site
Telecommunications companies of the United States