Public Safety Calling for Better Communication from FirstNet

In a three-hour roundtable discussion this week, representatives from the public safety industry voiced concern and frustration over the level of communication from the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) board responsible for building the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN), mandated under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. 

The NPSBN will be a landmark achievement for the country's public safety agencies and government leaders, improving interoperability and data capabilities with 4G LTE technology.  To date, the board has met twice in open meetings, and has passed a number of enabling resolutions, made presentations on proposed architecture, and conducted a notice of inquiry (NOI) via the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) last November.  Despite these steps, public safety leaders have not been satisfied with the level of input they have been able to provide, or the information provided on the board's activities to date.  The more than 100 responses that flooded in from agencies, companies, and individuals expressed a myriad of needs, suggestions and concerns, however no tangible follow-up steps have been taken in response to these submissions.

The roundtable discussion, organized by Textron, identified issues other than the board's lack of communication, which was the most common complaint.  The 25 panelists and 80 participants spoke of the question of the network's fidelity to public safety interests, as well as the fact that many board members are coming from a corporate commercial environment and stepping into a government setting for the first time, a transition which will likely take some adjustment.  The question is how long will this adjustment period will take, and how the organization will improve their credibility and confidence withinthe public safety community. 

The next FirstNet board meeting is scheduled for February 12 in Boulder, CO; the webcast can be viewed live on the NTIA's website. 

Read more at Urgent Communications.