RFP Submissions Show Industry Keen on FirstNet, Says Poth
ORLANDO – FirstNet is encouraged by the industry proposals under evaluation for the contract to build the national public safety network, FirstNet CEO Mike Poth said Tuesday at the APCO 2016 conference. The likely high pricing of broadcast spectrum in the current incentive auction also is good news for FirstNet because it may make public-private partnerships in the D-Block more attractive, he said. Earlier, government and public safety officials said planning and coordination are key to maintaining communications in recent political conventions and other major national events.
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FirstNet is on schedule to announce the contract award Nov. 1, Poth said. It's currently evaluating submissions to the request for proposals that closed in May, Poth said. He couldn’t provide specific details about what was submitted, but Poth said it's clear the industry sees value in helping FirstNet build a national network. "They still feel there's a business model in there that's viable for them," he said. AT&T is making a big push to win the FirstNet contract, the company’s chief financial officer said last week (see 1608090014), with Verizon also seen as a likely candidate.
The current spectrum auction bodes well for public safety in attracting private companies to share space on FirstNet, Poth said. “It’s increasing [the] value of our asset,” he said. “The broadcasters in that auction” have “way overpriced … what really the spectrum value is. So in the marketplace, our beachfront property looks even better.” FirstNet already is fully funded from the H-Block and AWS auctions, so revenue from the incentive auction will go entirely to deficit reduction, said FirstNet President TJ Kennedy.
FirstNet aims to do a simultaneous electronic blast to all states and territories for both the draft and final plans, with the drafts coming early 2017, said Kennedy. It has said it expects to send final state plans to governors as early as mid-2017. FirstNet remains focused on keeping up communication as it develops the state plans, officials said. It's "trying to overcommunicate what is going on so all of our partners … understand what FirstNet is and what we plan on doing," Poth said. FirstNet will meet again with the 56 single points of contacts from states and territories this fall, he said. The network understands that different states have different problems and approaches, Kennedy said. It has been working to build bridges with states as it develops the plans, even though it appears few states are in position to opt out (see 1608080035).
NSSE Lessons Learned
Early planning and coordination is key to handling national special security events, said earlier panelists. NSSEs are nationwide events with such significance or potential risk that they need the cooperation of the entire federal government to coordinate.
Philadelphia faced two NSSEs in less than a year -- the papal visit in September, then the Democratic National Convention last month. In the papal visit, one of the biggest concerns was that there would be a surge in broadband traffic -- from uploads of images to social media -- that could affect public safety’s ability to communicate, said Pennsylvania Statewide Interoperability Coordinator Marty McLain. At the DNC, there were concerns about the potential for protests and also high emergency medical service activity due to the excessive summer heat, he said. At first Philadelphia resisted federal help, but McClain said early planning and coordination proved critical to making each event successful.
Political conventions pose a particular challenge in that they're controversial, said Charlotte Fire Department Communications Division Manager Greg Hauser, who coordinated during the Charlotte DNC in 2012. Some people arrived in Charlotte “to break stuff,” he said. But advanced planning resulted in a smooth event, he said.
“Plan early,” said Department of Homeland Security OEC Region II Coordinator Chris Tuttle. Coordination among federal agencies, public safety and private broadcasters was key to mitigating potential RF interference at the 2014 Super Bowl in New Jersey, he said. The significant presence of broadcasters and the many thousands of football fans meant much potential for congestion even before public safety connected, he said. The first half of the game saw an interference problem, said Tuttle, but it was resolved quickly through coordination and by sticking to the plan, he said.