The most important news of the week is, of course, that on December 9, 2015, the FirstNet Board of Directors approved the final version of its RFP and ordered its staff to get it on the street as soon as possible, which we are told will be early January! This is a major milestone for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. This effort goes back to the days when Chief McEwen (ret) began pushing for the 700-MHz wideband segment of the Public Safety spectrum (wideband was to be 50-KHz channels for data services), and the FCC assigned this 5X5 MHz of spectrum to the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST) along the way to the “D-Block.”
The D-Block, a 5X5-MHz allocation of spectrum adjacent to the Public Safety Broadband Spectrum, was turned over to the Public Safety community in Title VI of the Middle Class Tax Relief Bill, signed into law at the end of February 2012. There were many other important milestones as Representative King introduced a bill to provide the spectrum to Public Safety, formation of the Public Safety Alliance to work with Congress, the Executive Branch, and the FCC to allocate the spectrum, to the next bill introduced by Senators Lieberman and McCain, and finally the bill that turned into Title VI, introduced by Senator Rockefeller and co-sponsored by both sides of the Senate.
FirstNet was established and there were some rocky times in its formative days. There was real concern that FirstNet might not being as independent an authority as Congress appeared to mandate, and some unrest at the board level and elsewhere. It was taking far too long to hire people, to get the organization up and running, and during 2012 and into 2013 it looked to many of us as though FirstNet would not be able to meet its objectives: to build and operate a Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN). However, FirstNet put its house in order, began acting more like an independent authority, and started hiring some very dedicated people to run the operation. These folks made some commitments to Public Safety and to themselves, rolled up their sleeves, and worked long, hard hours. The result is the approval to release the RFP for a nationwide partner to assist in building out and operating the network. It appears that the final RFP is vastly different from the one we all saw back in the spring of this year. The number of pages is down, I am told the language is much more conducive to finding a partner than when it read like a procurement document, and it appears as though FirstNet will provide some additional time for questions and responses early in the release process, all good things.
Will every vendor be happy with this version of the RFP? Probably not. Will companies that are waiting to see the final RFP before committing resources to responding to the RFP jump in with both feet? Will the new RFP stave off vendors wanting to sue (and slow down this much needed project)? I hope the answer to these two questions is a resounding, “yes.” FirstNet’s staff did a remarkable job in pushing the RFP forward, the board was involved as was the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC) under the direction of Chief McEwen.
I have to tell you, as someone who has been involved with this project for more than seven years, being in the room at these meetings and listening to the discussion, the accolades for all who have worked so hard to get to this point, and then the final vote felt as good to me as the day in February when the President signed the law that provides Public Safety with the spectrum, a management organization, and a start of the funding needed for the project. What amazes me most is that the FirstNet staff and board members who have worked so long and hard on this are, by industry standards, not being paid what they would be in the private sector yet they are performing as though this is a startup venture that would make them all rich. It is the dedication to the mission that keeps these folks moving forward, and that is something FirstNet is very blessed to have: a group of people who are dedicated to what needs to be done and willing to work as hard as they are to make it happen. My hat is off to all of them! This is a major milestone and we have more work ahead of us. Nonetheless, this is a great week for Public Safety! Enjoy your weekend. Andy
FirstNet should be applauded for keeping its promise, delivering final RFP on time – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Dec 10 14:20 … executive, but her dedication to public safety and the FirstNet mission has generated tremendous respect throughout the first-responder community.
NIST wants to know how cybersecurity framework is used – FCW.com via Google Alerts Dec 11 12:55 … October, Clete Johnson, chief counsel for cybersecurity at the Federal Communications Commission’s Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau, …
FirstNet could provide blueprint for enhancing advance threat defense for public safety, expert says – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Dec 11 11:55 Public-safety data security needs to be handled at the most basic …
GSMA urges APAC to assign 700-MHz for broadband – Telecom Asia via Google Alerts Dec 10 21:30 The GSMA has urged APAC countries to immediately allocate the 700-MHz band to mobile broadband use in areas where it hasn’t yet been, stating …
FirstNet, DHS P25 comms efforts move ahead – FCW.com via Google Alerts Dec 10 17:20 9 when the First Responder Network Authority board of directors approved a request for proposals to create and deploy a nationwide public safety …
FirstNet board approves RFP for release next month – FierceGovernmentIT via Google Alerts Dec 10 15:20 A request for proposal for the nationwide public safety broadband network was finalized yesterday by the First Responder Network Authority, …
Motorola Solutions chosen for UK’s next-generation public safety communications system – Newsroom – Motorola Solutions via Google Alerts Dec 10 12:40 ESN will support a network based on 4G public safety LTE technology with voice and broadband data services, such as the ability to send photos and …
FirstNet Board OKs Program’s Final RFP, Eyes January Bid Solicitation – GovConWire via Google Alerts Dec 10 10:55 LTEGrid The First Responder Network Authority board has approved a final request for proposal for the FirstNet national public-safety broadband …
FirstNet board approves RFP for public safety network – Telecompaper via Google Alerts Dec 10 05:55 The FirstNet RFP is objectives based and incorporates public safety’s needs for a nationwide broadband network. It was developed after FirstNet …
APCO Congratulates FirstNet on Approving Release of Its RFP – Public Safety Communications – APCO International via Google Alerts Dec 9 22:05 Alexandria, VA Today, the Board of Directors for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) voted to approve the release of a request for …
(FirstNet) Dec. 9 passed a resolution to release the request for – rrmediagroup.com via Google Alerts Dec 9 22:05 The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Dec. 9 passed a resolution to release the request for proposals (RFP) for a nationwide public-safety …
Net neutrality could be on the line in Washington court battle – InfoWorld Dec 4 09:00 The FCC’s Net neutrality rules go on trial Friday as oral arguments begin in 10 lawsuits that could dramatically change the way Internet service providers are regulated. In February, the Federal Communications Commission voted to ban service providers from giving some content preferential treatment. It also reclassified broadband as a communications service, similar to old-fashioned telecommunications except with exemptions from pricing and other regulations. [ Read Bill Snyder’s Tech’s Bottom Line blog for what the key business trends mean to you. | Cut to the key news for technology development and IT management with the InfoWorld Daily newsletter , our summary of the…
Bad Call! BSE Telecom index hits 52-week low; telcos unhappy over combined spectrum cap – Indiainfoline via Google Alerts Dec 11 12:11 It is said that 700 MHz provides the best result for 4G LTE and is being widely in foreign countries. Since it is a lower frequency, it offers better signal …
India had 108.85 million broadband connections during quarter ending June-15; Rural … – MediaNama.com via Google Alerts Dec 11 07:50 India defines narrowband as internet connections with download speeds less than 512 kbps while the connections with download speeds faster than …
Big Guns and Long Tails – Pipeline Magazine via Google Alerts Dec 11 00:15 More practically though, in the wireless 3GPP world, it has come down to a single standard that is hotly debated, referred to as narrowband IoT, …
Fcc free broadband – Google Docs via Google Alerts Dec 10 22:45 Tennessee battles fcc 39 s municipal broadband ruling. Tennessee blasts 39 …
FCC Boss Mocks Unfair Comcast Broadband Caps At Industry Dinner, Still Hasn’t Done Squat … – Techdirt via Google Alerts Dec 10 17:05 That obviously puts competing services at a disadvantage, so it raised alarm bells among net neutrality advocates. Comcast, however, has argued that …
GSMA: Delay in allocation of 700 MHz band hinders GDP growth and job creation – DZRH News via Google Alerts Dec 10 15:11 The GSM Association (GSMA) stressed the need for Asia-Pacific countries to allocate the 700 MHz band to mobile broadband use immediately, …
700-MHz allocation – The Standard via Google Alerts Dec 10 12:01 Utilizing the 700 MHZ spectrum, which is well suited to providing mobile broadband coverage indoors and over large areas, can potentially increase …
Public Safety and Homeland Security – FCC via Google Alerts Dec 10 03:25 The FCC’s Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau (PSHSB) advises, makes recommendations to, or acts for the Commission under delegated …
SK Telecom and Nokia Networks sign MoU for narrowband IoT – Capacity Media via Google Alerts Dec 10 02:00 SK Telecom and Nokia Networks have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to jointly research and develop narrowband IoT …
FirstNet: Road to an RFP – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Dec 9 17:55 FirstNet officials still plan to issue a final request for proposal (RFP) by the end of the year for the organization’s nationwide public-safety broadband …
FCC’s Growing Privacy and Data Security Enforcement – Lexology via Google Alerts Dec 9 11:16 Last year, the FCC named Travis LeBlanc as chief of the Enforcement Bureau. Since then, the FCC has brought three separate enforcement actions …
Net neutrality rules under assault again: Here’s what you need to know (FAQ) – CNET via Google Alerts Dec 9 09:10 The FCC, which has tried to impose Net neutrality rules twice before under broadband’s old classification, argues that it had to redefine the service in …
Court Preview: Activists Expose Net Neutrality’s Biggest Legal Problems – Western Free Press via Google Alerts Dec 4 12:20 Net Neutrality Do not let the FCC’s likely unlawful means of broadband Internet regulation, i.e. Title II, distract you from the additional likelihood that two …
City facing replacement of core radio system in FY17 – Ocean City Today via Google Alerts Dec 4 10:01 In the past, the 700 MHz systems were for broadcast TV, but the FCC moved that range to public safety radio, Theobald said. There were only seven …