Public Safety Broadband Progress to Date

FirstNet Board of Directors at swearing in, Aug. 2012.  Photo from ntia.doc.gov.

Although tangible evidence of Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) progress is scarce, and some have even claimed the past year has been a setback for agencies since the early deployer projects were subject to a freeze by the NTIA, communication and momentum from FirstNet has begun to pickup within the last month. 
The lack of a definitive plan, absence of new networks, and insufficient transparency from the FirstNet board of directors has given critics and skeptics of the organization fodder for their criticism.  The board made an attempt to address complaints at the last meeting in Boulder, CO, with a press conference and statements from leading board members addressing their intentions for the future and desire to maintain momentum and transparency. 

The nation's governors have expressed concern over lack of representation on the FirstNet board, and others have noted that no current municpal or local leaders were appointed to the board, as mandated by the law.  Recently, Chairman Sam Ginn addressed the National Governor's Association (NGA) about FirstNet's goals, and spoke of plans for comprehensive nationwide coverage and the role of satellite in the network.  Ginn also reiterated the emphasis on local control in times of emergencies, within the nationwide NPSBN.  Ginn posed a lynchpin question regarding the potential for negotiating profitable deals with commercial carriers: Could individual states negotiate better rates with the large national carriers than a nationwide deal?  Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley noted that if partnerships are negotiated by the board, then it is especially crucial to have a governor appointed to the board. 

Complaints from vendors were also addressed, with Sam Ginn stating "So, for all the vendors out there who have been trying to meet with us and contact us, I think the time will come. Once we have the system architected, and we know precisely what we want to build, we're going to ask you to help us build it," as quoted by Urgent Communications.  Vendors have a wealth of knowledge that can be used to plan and architect the network, so this may not be the response they have been looking for, but atleast the dialogue has been initiated from the board. 

Public Safety BTOP recipients/700 MHz waiver recipients welcomed news that Sue Swenson would be evaluating and interfacing with the agencies to recommend approval of waivers to the current freeze in place from the NTIA, although the final decision to allow them to move forward will lie first with NTIA, and then depend upon appropriate lease agreements with FirstNet for the 700 MHz Broadband spectrum it controls. Although not a BTOP recipient, Harris County, Texas recently obtained an extension of their special temporary authority (STA) from the FCC to continue their LTE operations. 

Board member Craig Farrill indicated a desire to release technical, business, and operational plans for the NPSBN at the FirstNet Board's next meeting, April 23, 2013, but emphasized that this would only be done if the Public Safety community has a prior chance to review them and provide input. 

One of the primary concerns, aside from transparency and progress, is the mission critical needs of Public Safety, including redundancy, reliability, and interoperability.  Board members have stated on multiple occasions that the network will be designed to fulfill these needs.

This week's announcement that FirstNet has contracted two consulting firms for business and technical plans may raise some questions among the Public Safety community, which resonate with previous concerns over transparency and appropriate processes.  The small woman-owned businesses were contracted through the NTIA and sole-sourced under Small Business Administration Section 8(a) rules.

Next week the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology will hold a hearing on March 14th at 10:30 am EST on "Oversight of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and Emergency Communications."  To view this hearing, visit the subcommittee's website.  Stay tuned to find out what steps the board and others in the industry will take toward making this project a success.