FirstNet, SPOCs Prepare for Governor Transitions in 2017
At least eight states and territories will have new governors in 2017 who will need to quickly get up to speed on the national public safety network to inform state decisions next year on whether to opt in or out to FirstNet state plans. “It’s going to be a whole new crop of governors and their staff who need to be educated on what FirstNet is [and] what their obligations are under the law,” said National Governors Association (NGA) Homeland Security and Public Safety Division Director Jeffrey McLeod. FirstNet and single points of contact (SPOCs) in three affected states told us they’re prepared for the transitions.
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Incumbent governors aren’t seeking re-election in Delaware, Indiana, Missouri, North Dakota, New Hampshire, Vermont, West Virginia and Puerto Rico. There are six elections where the governor could be re-elected: Montana, North Carolina, Oregon, Utah, Washington and American Samoa. Incumbent Gov. Pat McCrory (R) faces a tight race in North Carolina, and the election might impact municipal broadband issues (see 1609270035). FirstNet held initial consultations with the states and territories from late 2014 to summer 2015. The network said it may send state plans to governors as early as mid-2017. Each governor will have 90 days after receiving a proposal from FirstNet to opt out, then 180 days to submit an alternative plan for FCC approval, according to statute.
“Over the past few years, [FirstNet] has been cultivating relationships in the states,” ensuring governors understand their 2017 decision, McLeod said in an interview. “They’re going to have to start over with the new administration.” There will be some continuity in state leadership at the agency level, he said, “but more than likely there will be quite a bit of turnover in the governor’s office as the new administration comes in.” SPOCs and state homeland security advisors will need to spearhead education efforts with new governors, he said. Immediately after the election, these state officials should meet with the transition team and governor staff “to let them know this decision is on the horizon,” he said: It could take “a few months” before the meeting occurs.
NGA will be “actively engaged with the new administrations” to help them get up to speed on FirstNet, said McLeod. It's developing a web-based resource center on FirstNet for states to provide “neutral” information to state governors on the opt-in/opt-out decision, he said. It also plans to provide assistance to governors’ offices over the next year to support them, including conference calls, regular briefings and presentations by FirstNet staff, he said.
“FirstNet has been working hand-in-hand with our state partners to receive input and feedback on the network, as well as to educate key decision makers in the states,” a spokeswoman emailed. “We are ready to continue this work with any incoming state executives and ensure all governors have the information they need to make an informed decision on the FirstNet state plans. We encourage all state executives to work with their SPOCs to ensure that they have access to the most up-to-date information.” After facing early criticism from some states, FirstNet redoubled efforts to communicate with states (see 1608080035).
State SPOCs said they’re ready to educate the new governors. “We do not expect that the transition will have an impact on our timeline,” said Indiana SPOC David Vice. “The Indiana FirstNet team is preparing for the transition to include the timeline changes and developments as they occur.” FirstNet will be part of West Virginia's transition briefing for the new governor, said the state's SPOC Jimmy Gianato, saying he expects no impact to the time frame. The Delaware Department of Safety and Homeland Security plans to communicate with the new governor’s transition team, but doesn’t see the issue as urgent, with the opt-out decision “still eight months to a year” away, a spokeswoman said. SPOCs from the other five states and territories certain to have new governors in 2017 didn't comment.