FirstNet Board Kicks Off First Meeting Optimistic Despite Concerns of Exclusion, Cost and Time

FirstNet Chairman Sam Ginn acknowledged difficulties. But FirstNet’s in a “good position,” has a “reasonable budget” and “outstanding spectrum,” he said. “It’s not simple,” said the telecom executive who’s worked at Vodafone AirTouch and AirTouch Communications. “This is the most complicated telecommunications project in our nation’s history, no question.” The board passed its bylaws and all agenda resolutions critical to the network’s operation in the 2 1/2 hour meeting (http://xrl.us/bnq8s3). NTIA appointed the board in August (CD Aug 21 p1) and will assist in its staffing and technical, legal and administrative functions, Administrator Larry Strickling said. Implementation is set for 2013 and 2014, said Craig Farrill, board member and wireless executive.

One resolution addressed NTIA’s seven suspended Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) public safety grants, including projects in Charlotte, N.C.; Adams County, Colo.; and California’s Bay Area. NTIA paused these initiatives in May to ensure taxpayer money wouldn’t be wasted and that the efforts would be consistent with FirstNet, Strickling said. NTIA wants to “start a more formal consultation process” on whether these projects will continue and in what form, he said. “Clearly the landscape has been radically changed by the passage of the Middle Class Tax Relief Act.” The $380 million devoted to the seven projects must stay within the communities or be returned to the U.S. Treasury, he added.

NTIA had experienced a sharp “context change,” said board member Jeff Johnson, CEO of the Western Fire Chiefs Association. He praised NTIA’s handling of the seven BTOP grantees and emphasized the practicality of the decisions. Farrill asked if the grantees could continue as “demonstration projects” for FirstNet -- a prospect that multiple grantees have suggested (CD Aug 7 p1). Strickling agreed it’s possible. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., in a news release hailed the meeting as an “important milestone in making the public safety network a reality.”

Funding may prove a challenge for FirstNet, said a Potomac Institute for Policy Studies report released Tuesday (http://xrl.us/bnrdat). The network has $2 billion now, with $5 billion expected to follow, but that “may not be enough” and is dependent on FCC auctions, the report said. Panelists, including an architect of the FirstNet legislation, said on a July NARUC panel that $7 billion likely won’t be enough for a nationwide network (CD July 25 p19). The institute questioned the network’s timing and, contrary to the board’s talk of 2013 and 2014, suggested implementation may not begin “until 2015, 2016 or beyond.” NTIA and the FirstNet board need more staff, and must create a cost model for states opting into FirstNet, formalize state representation and facilitate the early deployment in states and localities “that are funded and ready to launch,” the institute said. It described stranded investment and opportunity costs of the suspended BTOP grants and encourages restarting the projects. “The date when the NPSBN will be truly nationwide may be over a decade away, and even that prediction may be optimistic,” it said.

Inclusion is another challenge, the Telecommunications Industry Association and the National Governors Association have noted. FirstNet should “ensure that all entities, including a broad range of stakeholders and not just the operators, be able to compete for FirstNet buildout funds to maximize resources, enhance innovation, and ensure interoperability,” said TIA President Grant Seiffert in a statement Tuesday. NGA has worried about inadequate state representation (CD Sept 25 p13). No “consistent theme” or “optimal approach” emerged from the 70 FirstNet comments NTIA received, said Acting Commerce Secretary Rebecca Blank. Of those comments, 40 came from states and local jurisdictions, and NTIA is ready to help in state consultation, she said. Rural coverage is “mandatory” in FirstNet’s vision, Farrill said. The board affirmed that the network will be covering all U.S. states as well as U.S. territories and tribal lands. “We want to have a dual-track implementation,” Farrill said, suggesting one for dense urban areas and one for unserved and underserved areas. “Rather than getting around to the rural later, we're going to make this different -- we're going to get around to the rural right now."

The tentative shape of FirstNet won’t be stand-alone implementation, Farrill said. He said such a model would give the federal government the most control, but would be expensive and take the longest. The stand-alone option “doesn’t stack up as a workable solution,” he said. The other two options call for partnering with either a single nationwide wireless operator or with a diverse network of different wireless operators, according to his presentation. These latter options would allow FirstNet to leverage existing architecture and save money and time, Farrill said. There’s “truly amazing” resources already: 285,000 cell sites and wireless network investments in excess of $350 billion, he said. FirstNet will save money through sheer scale in purchasing for a nationwide network, he said. Major industry players including Verizon and T-Mobile have pledged support, Ginn said. FirstNet is now imagined as “a diverse network that allows us to have layers of backup” akin to “looking at a five-lane highway,” Farrill explained. In the highway analogy, if one lane fails, four remain, he explained. First responders will typically use the FirstNet spectrum for communication, but will have several backup networks available, he said. He expects first responders to use the FirstNet network 95 percent of the time.

Ginn and Farrill said FirstNet will tailor itself to different jurisdictions through its applications. “We've all downloaded apps on our smartphone,” Ginn said. “And conceptually that’s what we want to do in our project.” The board will establish interface and certification requirements and then invite others to develop apps for public safety, Ginn said. The next months will be devoted to forming board committees and formulating the idea of test beds for networks and app development, he said. The board requested NTIA quickly issue a notice of inquiry to request comment “from all interested parties,” on network design and apps, Ginn said in a statement released after the meeting.