The FCC is looking to require emergency service workers to use LTE data networks for communication. While not finalized, the requirement would essentially make it much more efficient for first- and emergency-responders to communicate with one another, not to mention the media-rich information sharing capabilities that 4G LTE networks would allow.
The FCC is still looking for comments on issues like security and encryption, interference prevention, and coverage requirements to cover some general bases on the subject. The switch to LTE would give emergency workers more data throughput to work with, and that data connection would obviously be much faster. So, instead of a cop on the phone, describing a suspect on the run (or what have you), they could share a high-definition video or share mug-shots with the rest of their fellow law enforcers. Or, we can imagine a situation where an emergency first responder would take video and photos of a badly damaged building to share with engineers in order to get a better idea of how stable the building is prior to conducting search and rescue missions within.
These capabilities will help public safety workers communicate with each other in ways like never before, and in the end, will serve to help citizens. I guess it’s hard to complain about something like that when your best interest is in mind.
[Via: Bloomberg]