FirstNet GM Remains a Mystery and "by the way, we need another $1 Million"

In a special meeting of the FirstNet board of directors on Monday, the majority of which was closed to the public by majority vote of the board, the first General Manager of FirstNet was selected, and a resolution was passed to request another $1 million for outreach. 

The FirstNet General Manager's identity has been of interest to the Public Safety community for some time, as this individual is expected to help steer the direction of not only the planning process for the NPSBN, but also the operational doctrines and selection of personnel for this monumental agency.  Although the selection is complete by way of resolution, it seems we still have some waiting and wondering to do before the selected candidate's name is announced.

Many critics have claimed that FirstNet has been putting the cart before the horse, developing network architecture and budgets before consulting with states and/or the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC).  These concerns were furthermore evident in the issues discussed in the recent Congressional oversight hearing. 

The other two resolutions concerned the finances of the organization.  Resolution 23 is a standard administrative mechanism to allow FirstNet to submit 2013 and 2014 budget requests to the Department of Commerce and the Office of Management and Budget for review and approval.  Many in the Public Safety community took note of Resolution 22, in which the Board authorizes an additional $1 million of funding for implementation of FirstNet's outreach plan and user advocacy efforts.  This is surprising and frustrating to many Public Safety professionals who understand the delicate nature of FirstNet funding. The lack of transparency with regard to the FirstNet organization, including its financial planning, has been an overarching problem from the very first meeting of the board.  There are missing pieces to what is being presented to the public, specifically what activities will the funds be used for?  Also, since this is "additional" funding, to what budget or figures is this $1,000,000 being added?  In other words, we can see the request for additional funding, however the actual budget is still shrowded in secrecy. 

Outreach efforts to date have consisted of board members traveling to a handful of agency facilities and attending conferences and trade shows to perpetuate the same general statements being made, and give updates on what is already being done by the board.  This is contrary to the spirit of the law, which seems to intend state, local, tribal, rural, and Public Safety involvement throughout the process.

Based on what we have seen, federal offfices such as the Department of Commerce, Department of Defense, and Department of Homeland Security are unlikely to push back against the forward motion of FirstNet, as everyone understands the urgency for this organization to move forward.  At some point the Public Safety community will have to ask itself, how much ambiguity is acceptable, and when will be the time to rally together and demand transparency, even when the highest levels of the federal government remain tolerant?

FirstNet Engineers to Train in Fire & Rescue

Including Public Safety personnel in the FirstNet board of directors membership just makes sense, however unforeseen benefits are materializing this week, as current acting User Advocacy Officer Jeff Johnson implemented a training program for future FirstNet technical engineers. 

Johnson, former chief of Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue in Oregon, will give engineers a well-rounded training experience, fitting them with turnout gear and SCBA, running drills, and performing live-fire training at Tualatin's $1.5 million training facility. 

“I don’t think anyone has anything out there that meets our needs today,” he said. “I think we are talking ground-up redesign, so it is important to put those people in that [live-fire] building, in gear, because those designing the criteria by which these devices are manufactured have to get a feel for it,” said Johnson, quoted in Fire Chief magazine.

Engineers will also be doing ride alongs with crews, and will be exposed to all critical aspects of firefighter and EMS operations.  For more information on what FirstNet is doing to plan and build the NPSBN, visit the FirstNet section of the NTIA's website.

Public Safety, Business Execs Looking for Common Ground on FirstNet

This week's FirstNet Board of Directors meeting marked another stride forward to launching the first ever nationwide Broadband Public Safety Network.  Resolutions were passed Tuesday morning on accepting gifts, voluntary services, roles and responsibilities of the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), financial responsibilities, a comprehensive business plan, and FirstNet's Acting Officers, but not without concerns regarding  Public Safety's input on the decisions.  The Board also reviewed and discussed briefly the comments submitted throught he NTIA's NOI regarding the architectural concepts presented at the first meeting.



F. Craig Farrill, a major contributer to the early progress that's been made, was appointed acting General Manager until a suitably qualified individual is selected. 

Board Chairman Samuel Ginn's consistent message throughout the meeting was confidence in the qualifications and efforts of his peers on the Board, and he reiterated multiple times the need for quick action moving forward.  The timeframe being tossed around for first deployments of components of the network is as little as 18 months. 

We would like to hear your responses and comments on what FirstNet has done so far, comments are welcome below.

FirstNet Board Makes History

The Board tasked with the Public Safety project of the century met for the first time Tuesday in Washington, D.C.  and hit the ground running, passing resolutions dealing with licensing, the Public Safety advisory board, conceptual framework, applications, and how to work with state and local governments including those "early-movers" who are already working on their LTE projects.

The FCC released an order earlier this month stating its readiness to issue a license transfer from the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) for its block of 700 MHz to FirstNet.  The Board voted to complete this administrative requirement, as well as add the 700 MHz D-block to assemble the20 MHz of spectrum allocated for the first ever nationwide Public Safety Broadband network.

The Public Safety advisory board for FirstNet will be comprised of SAFECOM executive board members, with the chair and vice chair chosen by Board Chairman Sam Ginn in conjunction with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.  The advisory board will provide sound input from the Public Safety community.

Chairman Ginn offered a broad presentation of potential information-sharing models among state, local, and federal entities on the network, and Board member Craig Farrill gave a presentation on the potential framework for the network, which featured terrestrial, satellite, and deployable networks in diverse connectivity paths to increase reliability and redundancy.

Some features the Board is striving for include:

• Interagency collaboration
• Interoperability with existing systems
• Nationwide group communications
• Critical-level reliability through multiline access
• Extension of coverage into underserved rural areas
• Cost-efficient subscriber equipment adherent to LTE and other international standards
• Deployable large-scale disaster infrastructure
• Satellite network integration

Ginn stressed the importance of working with first responders on the specs and buildout of this network, but cautioned that the project is moving forward at full pace, and although feedback and ideas are warmly welcomed, Public Safety must speak up soon in order to be heard. 

"We understand the community wants to come back to us and offer points of view.  We're ready to modify our concepts if you have better ideas than we do," said Ginn regarding the concepts presented in the Board's first meeting.

The overall message of the meeting was urgency, to the delight of most Public Safety authorities.  Many expected the Board's first meeting to consist of administrative and "housekeeping" items, but the resolutions passed are tangible and proactive.  Timeliness is an issue with any project, but more so with a task of this magnitude and budget.


Read more:
FirstNet Board Seeks 700 MHz Spectrum, Chooses Advisory Committee
FirstNet Shows Progress in Initial Meeting, Despite Hiccups
FirstNet Board Outlines Public-Safety Broadband Network Architecture
Dept of Commerce FirstNet Fact Sheet

October 3, 2012 Update:  The NTIA issued a Notice of Inquiry regarding the architectural framework concepts of the system.  Comments are due November 1, 2012 at 5:00 pm and can be sent to firstnetnoi@ntia.doc.gov.