FirstNet’s procurement includes an aggressive phased deployment plan throughout the United States. There are myriad potential sources for significant delays, including procurement protests, legal challenges, state opt-out decisions, financial matters and political/logistical issues. Almost never addressed directly in a public setting, such delays have been discussed privately almost from the establishment of FirstNet and have been the “elephant in the room” for many discussions addressing deployment and operational timeframes. What could go wrong? Here are some sources of potential unwanted delays in FirstNet deployment