Facing “significant funding issues,” the federation of national public-safety-communications associations established more than 30 years ago, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC)is on an “indefinite hiatus,” according to a lead official with the organization
By Donny Jackson, Editor
Facing “significant funding issues,” the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC)—a federation of national public-safety-communications associations established more than 30 years ago—is on an “indefinite hiatus,” according to a lead official with the organization.
NPSTC Governing Board Chair Ralph Haller emphasized that NPSTC still exists, but it will not conduct normal activities for at least the near future.
“NPSTC has not dissolved; it remains,” Haller said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications. “There are significant funding issues—basically, there’s no funding from either the government or from the NPSTC Foundation, which was created to try to get private funding for NPSTC.
“Essentially, the governing board voted to put NPSTC on an indefinite hiatus. The telephones will continue to work, so people can contact [NPSTC Executive Director] Marilyn Ward. The website will continue to be operational, although it may change where it’s hosted. The idea is to try to keep the presence there [online], but there is a suspension of all meetings, and there are no plans to make any filings with the FCC for the immediate future.”
Ward, NPSTC’s longtime executive director, acknowledged that she continues to work for NPSTC as a volunteer, but she emphasized that NPSTC no longer is taking on new projects.
“We try to assist any questions that come up or direct people to others who can help them,” Ward said during an interview with IWCE’s Urgent Communications.
NPSTC has struggled to fund its operations during the past several years since losing its access to federal funding, according to sources familiar with the organization. A NPSTC Foundation was established in an effort to provide a new funding source, but it has not been successful enough to let NPSTC continue its traditional roles of submitting FCC filings and conduct public-safety communications research and issue reports on key topics impacting the sector.
Established during the 1990s, NPSTC currently counts the following 16 organizations among its voting members, according to the organization chart that can be found on the NPSTC website:
*American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials (AASHTO);
*American Radio Relay League (ARRL);
*Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies (AFWA);
*Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International;
*Forestry Conservation Communications Association (FCCA);
*International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP);
*International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM);
*International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC);
*International Municipal Signal Association (IMSA);
*National Association of State Chief Information Officers (NASCIO);
*National Association of State Emergency Medical Services Officials (NASEMSO);
*National Association of State Foresters (NASF);
*National Association of State Technology Directors (NASTD);
*National Council of Statewide Interoperability Coordinators (NCSWIC);
*National Emergency Number Association (NENA); and
*National Sheriffs’ Association (NSA).
