The Public Safety Wireless Network (PSWN) Program will sponsor its 16th regional symposium in Portland, Oregon, June 4-6, 2002. (See www.pswn.gov or call 1-800-565-PSWN for additional information on the symposium.) This symposium, like earlier ones, is intended to stimulate networking and firsthand information exchanges about developing interoperable public safety land mobile radio (LMR) communications systems. Past symposiums have attracted local, state, federal, and tribal public safety officials who share information about systems planning, site acquisition, funding, spectrum, and other relevant information. The PSWN Program envisions panel discussions at the conference to include a moderator and several subject matter experts with the capability of discussing and answering questions from the moderator as well as from the audience. This panel will discuss the ability of manufacturers of LMR radio communications equipment to support public safety missions. This activity is to be a moderated panel discussion that will have participation by all interested equipment vendors that manufacture radio communications equipment commonly used by public safety. The session is planned for June 5, 2002 from 8:00-9:00 a.m. The panel moderator will be a member of the public safety community. The moderator will stimulate discussion among the panel participants through questions including, but not limited to, vendor products, status of research and development activities, and compliance with published standards. A limited number of spaces are available for vendor participation. Vendors will be accepted on a first-come, first-served basis. The PSWN Program believes that manufacturers of LMR equipment typically used by public safety entities will find this panel discussion applicable to their respective businesses. The participating vendors will not be allowed to provide presentations, individual briefings, or marketing pitches, and sales rhetoric will be discouraged. Information exchange and dialogue will take place only in the form of responses to questions posed by the moderator or symposium attendees to vendor panelists, who will each be allowed to respond in kind. Vendor marketing materials such as banners, brochures, slick sheets, actual equipment, etc., will not be allowed in the room where the symposium is taking place or in the general vicinity of the room (e.g., registration area). The PSWN Program will not provide transportation, per diem, or other resources or support for vendors participating in the panel discussion. Only one representative from each participating vendor will be allowed to sit on the panel. Equipment manufacturers desiring to send a representative to participate in the panel discussion should make their request via e-mail (preferred), by fax, or in writing to: Mrs. Carole Kirsch, PSWN Program, P.O. Box 3926, Fairfax, VA 22038, (E-mail
[email protected], Phone: 703-279-2006, Fax: 703-279-2032). Requests must specify company and participant by name, and provide the following point-of-contact information: business mailing address, phone and fax numbers, and email. Requests should be received no later than May 3, 2002. Participation in the panel will be confirmed by May 10, 2002.