Network Coverage The first project that must be completed by FirstNet and AT&T within six months of the contract signing is to deliver to each state, territory, and tribal nation details of the coverage the partnership is proposing to provide. This starts the opt-in or opt-out clock, a decision that needs to be made by the governor soon after the state plan has been delivered and reviewed. I have been told there will be draft plans submitted to each state in June and final state plans will arrive in October, giving each state, territory, and tribal nation time to fully review the documents. I believe that during the presentation of the plan and before the final opt-in opt-out decision each state will also have the ability to negotiate additional coverage either by the FirstNet team, or on the state, county, city level and perhaps also making use of other types of funding. This is what I refer to as opt-in plus.
Regardless, the issue facing all of those involved is how much coverage will actually be provided and over what time span? The first part of the coverage answer is easy. Wherever AT&T provides LTE coverage today will be covered for FirstNet. AT&T has agreed that the day after a governor opts in the agencies in that state will gain access to all of AT&T’s commercial network coverage, at first with priority access and then later in 2017 with true pre-emptive access. Further, the FirstNet RFP requires that AT&T partner with rural wireless carriers to cover at least 15% of the more rural areas of the United States, so soon after the opt-in process, and even before band 14 or the FirstNet spectrum is deployed, many agencies will have access to LTE in most if not all of their jurisdictions.
Coverage Issues When I was working with a team on a competing bid for FirstNet before the company decided to cancel, we spent a lot of time reviewing the information provided in the RFP posting. This included what many of the states felt they needed for coverage of this network. We dissected this information and put it into three basic buckets: states that would be okay with the coverage already provided to them by one of the major LTE network providers, states that said they needed coverage to match their existing Land Mobile Radio systems, and finally there were a few that stated they needed coverage of every square inch of their geography. This gave us information that was useful in planning our bid response. The states that would be happy with the coverage they received from one of the major LTE network providers would be easy to satisfy. Those that demanded the FirstNet partner duplicate their LMR coverage would be more difficult, and frankly, states that said they would need 100% geographic coverage meant we would not be able to satisfy those states no matter how much coverage we offered.
In the 1970s and early 1980s as I was designing what we then called two-way radio systems and was working for RCA, General Electric, and finally Motorola, we kept running into coverage requirements that were not based on a balance of need and cost. This happened as I prepared bid responses first in Philadelphia, then in Cincinnati, and finally in LA County. We kept telling Public Safety agencies that we could provide say, 90% coverage of their area for a price of say, $3 million dollars (the systems were analog in those days). To increase coverage to 95% would cost them an additional $4-5 million and we could not even calculate the cost of bringing them to 100% coverage. While this was many years ago and a totally different set of technologies, I believe this logic still holds true today. FirstNet realized the problem between geographic coverage and covering populated areas.
In the RFP it provided three different types of rural areas. The first two, rural along major and secondary highways and rural population centers have to be covered. That leaves areas of the United States, primarily west of the Mississippi, that can be categorized as very rural or wilderness and where coverage is required on an as-needed basis. This appears to be a sensible way of deciding what parts of rural America need to be covered on a 24/7/365-basis and which ones can be serviced by terrestrial or UAS (drone) flying coverage provided when needed. Unlike today’s wait of a few days for coverage, this type of fly-in coverage can happen in a matter of hours or it can be “take it with you” equipment.
More Options What I have discussed above is based on the fact that FirstNet and AT&T are required by law to build out coverage in rural America and that many states are asking for what they believe is a rational amount of coverage. The fact is that this is a 25-year contract and just as most LMR systems did not provide all of the coverage they do today when first built, coverage was added as was needed and could be afforded. It is clear, at least to me, that AT&T will continue to enhance coverage for first responders and upgrade the network as they will be doing with their commercial networks. As I wrote a while ago that perhaps in the beginning and even over time, some of the Public Safety traffic might be routed on other than FirstNet’s band 14 but as long as there is pre-emption available and the communications works, why does it really matter what band it is on?
Do you know which of the many bands your smartphone is using on your commercial network? The answer is no and it does not matter. What matters for Public Safety is that they can communicate and that FirstNet’s band 14 is their home band, period! Anyone who attended the IWCE panel on rural coverage I moderated heard from a few of us about ways to gain even more coverage than AT&T and FirstNet can provide. There are other funds available from local jurisdictions, funds from states, and many federal funds. I don’t see anything in the RFP (but I have not read the contract) that says AT&T and FirstNet have to be the only providers of funds to build this network and put it into operation.
This is a partnership between the Public Safety community, FirstNet, and now AT&T. There can be other partners, other players. Think about the sparse use of band 14 in rural areas of the United States and the fact that there is, today, no broadband for the rural citizens in many areas. FirstNet’s spectrum built-out in rural America cannot only serve Public Safety but provide broadband to those who do not have it or cannot afford it. The Public Safety, FirstNet, and AT&T partnership can be used as a springboard to get other people connected, take tele-medicine into areas where it is not, and provide access to schools, libraries, and other facilities that do not have access to broadband. There is a big bonus to all of this for those in Congress who passed the bill that created FirstNet and for those who have hammered FirstNet about rural coverage at every congressional hearing on the subject. If those within their own district finally have broadband coverage and congressional representatives can point to the fact that he or she made it happen, the results can be counted in votes the next time they run for re-election.
FirstNet can be a win for Public Safety, a win for FirstNet, and a win for AT&T but it can also be a win for those who live without access to broadband and/or who cannot afford it. This is an opportunity for Public Safety and FirstNet to lead the charge for rural America. It will be interesting to see how this unfolds. Andrew M. Seybold Please note: There will be no Public Safety Advocate Published the Week of April 10th due to my travel schedule including a speech on FirstNet I will be presenting Wednesday Afternoon at the APCO Western Regional Conference in Ontario, CA.
How will AT&T monetize FirstNet and the public sector? A talk with Kay Kapoor, the woman in charge – xmlpush Apr 6 16:15 While Kay Kapoor was leading AT&T’s (NYSE: T) efforts to win a massive contract to build a nationwide first-responder network, she was technically only in charge of the federal side of the company’s public sector work. But the network will impact individual states, too, and company lines started to blur. After the deal went through, the lines disappeared altogether. Kapoor was named president of AT&T’s new Global Public Sector organization earlier this week. The…
AT&T, FirstNet officials provide new perspectives on governors’ ‘opt-out’ decision process – Urgent Communications via Google Alerts Apr 5 17:50 Those are secure applications riding on a secure core networkAT&T’s networka secure radio access network, and that’s specifically for FirstNet …
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NPSTC Report: Broadband Deployable Systems in the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network – 9-1-1 Magazine via Google Alerts Apr 6 17:10 For over 2 years, the NPSTC CSS Broadband Deployables Working Group, a joint U.S./Canada effort of more than 150 participants, has met to …
IWCE 2017 Drew More Than 7000 Communications Technology Professionals – lte-applications.com via Google Alerts Apr 6 17:10 The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) partner announcement was …
FirstNet Receives Another Clean Audit Opinion – MilTech via Google Alerts Apr 6 01:20 As FirstNet moves forward with the National Public Safety Broadband Network, our financial management team will remain good stewards of each …
FCC chairman says broadband competition doesn’t justify strict privacy rules – and critics howl – Silicon Angle Apr 6 01:07 Strict privacy rules for Internet service providers are not needed because the broadband market is more competitive than the search engine marketplace, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai and acting Federal Trade Commission Chairman Maureen Ohlhausen argued in an opinion piece in The Washington Post Wednesday. Most Americans who have few choices for home Internet service […] The post FCC chairman says broadband competition doesn’t justify strict privacy rules – and critics
House leaders applaud new contract for first nationwide public safety broadband network – Susan Brooks via Google Alerts Apr 6 00:36 U.S. Reps. Greg Walden (R-OR) and Marsha Blackburn (R-TN) together praised the announcement last week of a $46.5 billion initiative to build a …
Temple, Georgia is Testbed for Advanced Public Safety Network and Wireless Video Surveillance – Technology Life via Google Alerts Apr 5 18:21 The broadband wireless network supports streaming video and mobile …
Sorley to lead FirstNet’s Public Safety Advisory Committee – Wireless Estimator via Google Alerts Apr 4 18:25 FirstNet said it was pleased to announce, after a thorough search by its Board Chair Sue Swenson, and Board Vice Chair Jeff Johnson, that Tom …
AT&T exec named to head new $15B organization – xmlpush Apr 4 12:15 The executive who led AT&T’s (NYSE:T) efforts to secure a multi-billion-dollar contract to build a new network for first responders will head the company’s new Global Public Sector organization. The Department of Commerce announced last week that the Dallas telecom giant was nabbed by the DOC’s FirstNet to build a nationwide network exclusively for police, firefighters, EMS, and other first responders. The public-private partnership efforts were led on AT&T’s end by Kay Kapoor, who…
FirstNet questioned Rivada’s finances, business model – FierceWireless via Google Alerts Apr 3 21:40 … and public safety with the best value, most sustainable and lowest risk approach to deploying the nationwide public safety broadband network..
Key takeaways from the FirstNet-Rivada Mercury ruling – RCR Wireless News via Google Alerts Apr 3 11:50 … wireless network’; and lacked any experience in ‘supervising a project of the size and scope of the [national public safety broadband network.’.
AT&T Creates New Public Sector Sales Arm – Broadcasting & Cable via Google Alerts Apr 3 11:45 That follows AT&T’s selection last week to build and maintain the FirstNet interoperable broadband public safety network under a public-private …
AT&T : awarded contract to build FirstNet – 4-Traders via Google Alerts Apr 3 05:40 The US government has tapped the second-largest cellphone carrier in the US to build a first-of-its-kind wireless network to facilitate communication …
AT&T Lands $6.5B FirstNet Contract to Deploy Public Safety Broadband Network – AppsforPCdaily via Google Alerts Apr 3 03:50 FirstNet aims to solve a communications problem that becomes especially acute in emergencies as first responders use wireless telecommunications …
AT&T : IAFC Pleased AT&T Named to Build First Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network – 4-Traders via Google Alerts Apr 1 15:45 FAIRFAX, Va., March 30 — The International Association of Fire Chiefs issued the following statement from President and Chair John Sinclair:The IAFC …
Site Navigation – Mission Critical Communications via Google Alerts Mar 31 22:30 Public-safety users in states that opt in to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) will have priority access on all bands of the AT&T network …
Inmarsat Government selected by AT&T for US FirstNet network – Inmarsat via Google Alerts Mar 31 22:30 The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) is an independent agency under the U.S. Department of Commerce. Its public safety mission is to …
APCO International Celebrates FirstNet’s Selection of AT&T to build USA Network – British Apco via Google Alerts Mar 31 20:10 APCO International in the USA celebrates the First Responder Network Authority’s (FirstNet’s) selection of AT&T as its partner to implement the …
Secretary Ross’s Announcement Regarding Dedicated Public Safety Public Safety Broadband … – Department of Commerce via Google Alerts Mar 31 16:15 And what we’re really here to do is to launch the construction of the world’s first mission critical public safety broadband network. This innovative …
Crown Castle to Serve on FCC’s Newly Formed Broadband Deployment Advisory Committee – GlobeNewswire via Google Alerts Apr 6 16:55 As the nation’s largest independent owner and operator of shared wireless infrastructure, with more than 40,000 towers and over 26,500 route miles of …
Alaska Lawmakers LInk Telehealth Growth to Better Broadband – mHealthIntelligence.com via Google Alerts Apr 6 15:40 Alaska’s legislature is petitioning the FCC to bolster a rural healthcare fund …
Ericsson: 5G will call for business models that ‘go well beyond the individual’ – FierceWireless via Google Alerts Apr 6 15:35 Technologies and networks such as narrowband IoT and various flavors of LTE are already being rolled out to provide 5g connectivity for those use …
FCC Kills Charter Merger Condition That Would Have Forced ISPs To Compete – Techdirt Corporate Intelligence Apr 6 15:06 While FCC boss Ajit Pai has repeatedly claimed his top priority while running the FCC is eliminating the digital divide , his behavior in just the first few months of his term has made that claim utterly and indisuptably laughable. It doesn’t take a sociology degree to realize that Pai’s recent decisions to protect prison phone monopolies , protect the cable box monopoly , undermine efforts to bring broadband to the poor and dismantle net neutrality solely…
China Telecom, Huawei hold NB-IoT symposium – Telecom Asia via Google Alerts Apr 5 22:25 China Telecom and Huawei co-hosted a symposium in Shenzhen yesterday aimed at exploring the potential of narrowband IoT (NB-IoT) technology in …
FCC’s Ajit Pai Says Broadband Market Too Competitive For Strict Privacy Rules – Slashdot Apr 5 13:45 In an op-ed published on the Washington Post, FCC Chairman Ajit Pai and his counterpart at the FTC have argued that strict privacy rules for ISPs aren’t necessary in part because the broadband market is more competitive than the search engine market. From a report on ArsTechnica: Internet users who have only one choice of high-speed home broadband providers would probably scoff at this claim. But an op-ed written by Pai and Acting FTC Chair…
Government risks legal action over broadband plan – Irish Times via Google Alerts Apr 5 01:05 The Government’s National Broadband Plan seeks to intervene where there is no existing high-speed broadband and no concrete plans to roll out …
New Washington, but the same LightSquared is asking for favors from the FCC – TheHill via Google Alerts Apr 4 23:25 When the FCC allowed LightSquared to use its parcel of satellite spectrum for other purposes, namely terrestrial mobile broadband, the decision was …
Public Safety Advocate: FirstNet, AT&T, and IWCE – Andrew Seybold, Inc Apr 3 18:00 Mon Apr 3 15:56:05 2017 At the top of the list was the contract award made by FirstNet and the Department of Commerce to AT&T […]
Signal Booster for FirstNet, the 1st Nationwide Network Dedicated to Public Safety – I-Newswire Apr 3 13:01 SignalBooster.com to offer new Public Safety Signal Booster, SureCall Guardian3 QR (Quick Response).
FCC reverses Charter Communications ‘overbuild’ requirement – Reuters Apr 3 10:45 WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. Federal Communications Commission voted to reverse a requirement imposed under the Obama administration that Charter Communications Inc extend broadband service to 1 million households that currently have service, a source briefed on the matter said.
State concerned bankrupt network provider could threaten public safety – Worcester Telegram via Google Alerts Apr 2 19:40 WORCESTER The future of the state’s high-speed broadband network, which brings internet to scores of public safety and government buildings in …
AT&T tapped to build public safety… – Google News via Google Alerts Apr 2 10:15 The United States on Thursday awarded a contract to AT&T Inc. to build a nationwide wireless broadband network to better equip first responders, …
FirstNet Names AT&T Partner to Build $46.5 Billion Network for First Responders Nationwide – First Responder Network Authority via Google Alerts Apr 2 02:40 FirstNet Names AT&T Partner to Build $46.5 Billion Network for First …
Trump Plans to Sign Repeal of Obama-Era Broadband Rules on Internet Privacy – LongRoom via Google Alerts Apr 1 20:35 The privacy bill would repeal regulations adopted in October by the FCC under the Obama administration. The regulation required internet services …
US Congress kills Internet privacy – FACT.international via Google Alerts Apr 1 18:35 On Tuesday, House Republicans voted to eliminate the Federal Communications Commission’s privacy rules for broadband internet providers, which …
Why AT&T Wants to Build a Wireless Network for the Police – National Association of Corporate Directors via Google Alerts Apr 1 14:40 Why AT&T Wants to Build a Wireless Network for the Police. FirstNet, the dedicated nationwide network announced Thursday, will prioritize data traffic …
FirstNet’s first real steps are long overdue for fire, EMS agencies – Fire Chief via Google Alerts Mar 31 21:10 In 2008, the so-called D-Block the 20-MHz swath of high-value wireless spectrum set aside for the national public safety broadband communications …
Comcast, AT&T reaffirm privacy commitments amid flap over FCC rules – CNET – CNET: Apple Mar 31 13:45 The broadband providers said they don’t collect customer data unless customers allow it.