In the wake of 9/11, when communication failures among first responders cost lives, Congress created the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN), a dedicated nationwide broadband system for public safety. Managed by the FirstNet Authority and known as FirstNet, the NPSBN ensures that police, fire, EMS, and other public safety agencies have access to nationwide broadband service at all times.
What is the NPSBN?
The concept behind the NPSBN is to provide first responders with reliable voice, data, and video connectivity over 4G/LTE and 5G networks. It is the first broadband network in U.S. history built specifically for mission-critical public safety use. This coverage encompasses all 50 states, including the most rural and remote areas. (FirstNet has over 250,000 more square miles of coverage than any other network.) The wireless connections are made by NPSBN-enabled smartphones and tablets.
“The Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network is managed by the FirstNet Authority, which is a board within the Department of Commerce and NTIA composed of public safety practitioners and experts in commercial wireless networks,” said Chief Jeffrey Johnson, Chief Emeritus with the Western Fire Chiefs Association and their Wireless Policy-Partnerships Advisor. “That board sets policy for operations, network buildouts, and the reinvestment schedule for FirstNet, whose wireless infrastructure is provided by AT&T under a competitively-bid contract.”
Dedicated Spectrum for Public Safety
Unlike any other wireless service offered in the United States, FirstNet provides exclusive access to Band 14 for first responders. This is a swath of the radio spectrum that has been reserved for public safety users. In routine conditions, AT&T may allow commercial users onto Band 14. But when a FirstNet eligible responder uses the network, they have unrestricted access to to the network without doing anything other than using their device. There are no codes to punch in: Simply use your device.
“You can understand how Band 14 works by thinking of it as a VIP lane on the highway,” said Chief Johnson. “When first responders use the network, this lane is cleared of all non-emergency traffic. This ensures that emergency communications can get through without delays or problems.”
Priority and Preemption During Emergencies
To support this VIP-lane model, Band 14 is designed with two capabilities: priority and preemption. “By priority, we mean that first responder traffic comes first,” Chief Johnson said. “By preemption, we mean that whenever public safety uses their device, any competing non-first responder traffic is removed from Band 14 as required.”
FirstNet as the NPSBN in the US
FirstNet is the operational name for the NPSBN in the U.S. It combines dedicated public-safety governance through the FirstNet Authority with nationwide network infrastructure built by AT&T.
A key advantage is FirstNet/AT&T’s exclusive access to dedicated Band 14. Because they lack access to Band 14, no other commercial cellular carrier can make this claim.
How NPSBN Differs from Commercial Networks
The biggest differentiator between FirstNet via AT&T and all other non-NPSBN services offered by other carriers is Band 14. Without it, non-NPSBN carriers have to mix public safety traffic in with their commercial users on the same evolved packet core.
“This means that police, fire, and EMS using a non-NPSBN service are subject to a commercial grade network without FirstNet oversight that ensures that public safety is protected,” said Chief Johnson. “Without the FirstNet Authority and the contract they enforce, all you have is a well-marketed commercial service that portrays itself as being there for public safety but without the contractual guarantees and related penalties.”
“It’s simple: FirstNet has a VIP lane for first responders patrolled by FirstNet Authority who act as traffic cops,” Chief Johnson said. “Other carriers don’t.”
To illustrate this situation, non-NPSBN carriers have been known to reduce access to first responders — a practice known as “throttling” — whenever their networks get overloaded by traffic. Because commercial carriers manage traffic for profit, throttling is permitted under standard customer agreements — even when it affects public safety.
This occurred during the 2018 Mendocino Complex Fire in California, when Verizon throttled the service of firefighters. “This throttling has had a significant impact on our ability to provide emergency services,” Santa Clara County Central Fire Protection District’s Fire Chief Anthony Bowden wrote after the event [as reported by NBC News]. “Verizon imposed these limitations despite being informed that throttling was actively impeding County Fire’s ability to provide crisis-response and essential emergency services.”
“Because it is being run for public safety rather than for profit, FirstNet doesn’t throttle traffic,” said Chief Johnson said. “Ever.”
Why FirstNet Reauthorization is Critical for Public Safety
FirstNet’s Congressional authorization runs out in 2027. First responders like Chief Johnson want Congress to start reauthorizing FirstNet now— and for good this time — so that the service does not lapse and leave public safety agencies stranded
“There’s about 8 million connections on FirstNet,” said Chief Johnson. “All of these police, fire, and EMS users have left other cellular and radio commercial levels of service to join FirstNet, which offers a higher public safety grade level of service. If FirstNet is not reauthorized, its governance, and contractual authority could disappear, forcing agencies back onto commercial networks. Do you want your family’s safety riding on that kind of service? I sure don’t, which is why I and over 30,000 agencies and its users want FirstNet to be reauthorized.”
FAQ
What is the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN)?
The NPSBN is a national wireless broadband service dedicated to serving police, fire, and EMS communications. It was created after 9/11 to prevent communication failures during large-scale emergencies.
How is the NPSBN different from regular cellular networks?
The NPSBN offers priority and preemption service to first responders through Band 14, via FirstNet and AT&T. Regular cellular networks are unable to do this, no matter what they may claim.
Who operates the NPSBN and what is its connection to FirstNet?
The NPSBN is operated by the FirstNet Authority, which oversees the FirstNet network’s policies, coverage priorities, and reinvestment strategy
by John Paul Jones, David Fogerson, and Rob Patterson
Every member of the public safety community who’s ever stood in the chaos of an incident knows this truth: communications are our lifeline. We can have the best training and equipment in the world, but if communications fail, everything else can unravel. Command collapses. Coordination suffers. And people get hurt.
Mission assurance is non-negotiable
While each branch of the public safety community operates under different conditions and mandates, our collective mission depends on a communications foundation which performs when everything else fails. Each discipline faces unique operational priorities, and understanding those helps strengthen the whole.
Emergency Management—Coordination and Continuity
Retired Nevada Emergency Manager and Homeland Security Chief David Fogerson brought three decades of fire service expertise to his role coordinating multi-agency emergency response across vast and challenging terrain. His efforts in negotiating cooperative wildfire protection agreements and fostering cross-jurisdictional collaboration have strengthened Nevada’s public safety communication infrastructure.
“Emergency managers face a different challenge: the orchestration of multi-agency response and recovery across jurisdictions, often during total infrastructure collapse. Their priority is resilient interoperability ensuring that fire, EMS, law enforcement, utilities, and local government remain connected when cell towers are down and chaos reigns. This community relies on redundant, deployable communications to maintain situational awareness and sustain command continuity throughout prolonged incidents. When we can’t communicate in real-time, we can’t coordinate, and when we can’t coordinate, we can’t save lives.”
Federal Agencies—Coverage and Reach
With over 30 years of dedicated service to the Drug Enforcement Administration, Robert Patterson rose to the position of Acting Administrator, guiding enforcement and intelligence operations for a global network of personnel and partners. His commitment to advancing technology and cross-agency collaboration strengthened the agency’s capacity to share critical information and coordinate national security efforts.
“Federal users require broad, secure, dependable coverage that spans the full geography of the nation, from dense urban centers to remote border zones and national forests. Whether coordinating investigative activities, disaster relief, or homeland security operations, coverage gaps aren’t mere inconveniences, they are potential mission failures. The expectation is clear: nationwide, persistent connectivity that supports continuity of government and critical communications under all conditions. The bar for public safety-grade cannot be lowered to commercial-grade with good intentions.”
Fire Service—In-Building Reliability
John Paul Jones, Fire Chief-Emeritus and Executive Director of the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association, possesses over 34 years of distinguished leadership in fire service operations and communications. His pioneering work in regional homeland security coordination and the adoption of mobile-data communications has been instrumental in advancing interdisciplinary-inclusive-interoperability. Throughout his career, he has remained a dedicated advocate for technology innovation, operational excellence, and the mission readiness of the nation’s first responders.
“For the fire service, the lifeline isn’t just about coverage – it’s penetration. Firefighters operate in the worst environments for signal propagation: concrete, steel, and smoke-filled structures that can swallow high-frequency 5G signals. That’s why low-band spectrum like Band 14 is indispensable. It penetrates walls and basements, sustaining communications when visibility is zero and seconds matter most. In-building reliability isn’t a convenience for the fire service – it’s the difference between a mayday received and a mayday missed.”
EMS—Device Ecosystem and Interoperability
For EMS, communication isn’t about chatter, it’s about data. Modern patient care depends on connected monitors, tablets, and ePCR systems transmitting telemetry to hospitals in real time. A certified, interoperable device ecosystem purpose-built and certified for interoperability ensures real-time telemetry, live video consultation, and uninterrupted access to patient data. In the field, technology that doesn’t integrate can delay care.
“The EMS mission depends on equipment that connects every link in the chain of survival, let’s make it clear, interoperability saves lives.” Chief Jones
Law Enforcement—Situational Awareness and Security
For law enforcement, the priority is secure, real-time situational awareness. Officers require instant, encrypted data exchange between dispatch, field units, and regional partners including video, mapping, and intelligence feeds. Reliability isn’t just about response efficiency; it’s about officer safety. In moments of crisis, from pursuit to active threat, law enforcement depends on a cybersecure network that can handle encrypted data, live video, and mission applications without latency or failure.
“As leaders, protecting the well-being of those who serve on the front lines of the greater public safety community is our highest responsibility. Ensuring they have secure, real-time communication is essential, not just for operational success, but for safeguarding the lives of those who dedicate themselves to protecting others.” – Rob Patterson
Unified Mission—One Network, Many Needs
While our operational priorities may differ—coverage for federal users, in-building reliability for fire, device interoperability for EMS, data security for law enforcement, and resilient coordination for emergency management—the truth is that each of these priorities strengthens the others. Reliable coverage supports interior operations. Strong penetration enables medical telemetry. Encrypted bandwidth empowers law enforcement and public safety intelligence. Deployable resilience sustains unified command. A unified device ecosystem ensures all of it works together when the stakes are highest.
Our individual needs are not just overlapping but interconnected. And when one discipline finds improvements, the entire public safety mission benefits. The goal isn’t separate solutions. It’s one resilient network serving every responder, every agency, every time.
The Standard We Owe Each Other
Public safety communications demand more than commercial marketing of a consumer-grade product. They demand proof, performance, and accountability. FirstNet exists because this community and Congress recognized that commercial networks could not meet the operational requirements of first responders. It remains the only network with federally enforced, public safety-grade priority and preemption—and that distinction is more than bureaucratic; it’s lifesaving.
“FirstNet fulfills the promise, but success attracts noise.” – Rob Patterson
In recent years, a wave of commercial carriers has rushed into the “public safety” space, each claiming to offer the same reliability, speed, and priority we expect from purpose-built systems. Among them, T-Mobile has pushed its “public safety service” as an alternative for federal and local responders, a program that sounds promising until you take a closer look.
The FirstNet Promise’s Truth versus the Commercial Network’s Fiction
The challenge with commercial networks offering services for public safety is that they lack a dedicated plan, specific accountability measures, and oversight tailored to public safety needs where accountability truly matters.
In contrast, the FirstNet Promise, established by Congressional mandate and maintained under contractual oversight for more than a decade, has delivered proven broadband innovations transforming how fire services and other public safety agencies operate. Tools such as real-time video, tele-EMS, live mapping, and data analytics have become essential for incident commanders, setting FirstNet apart as the network built exclusively for public safety mission-critical communications.
Coverage Maps Don’t Save Lives
T-Mobile advertises 98% population coverage primarily through its commercial 5G network infrastructure. On a marketing slide, that sounds impressive. But in public safety terms, “population coverage” isn’t what matters. Geographic coverage is. What is important to understand is T-Mobile’s offering to public safety relies on the 5G network, and more specifically on their 5G Wide Band capabilities. According to T-Mobile’s latest network updates, approximately 36% of their current nationwide footprint, measured by square miles, is covered by 5G wideband service. Our missions take us far from population centers, and that’s where we need reliability most—and it’s where commercial coverage maps fade to gray. Users operating in remote locations may encounter inconsistent service or coverage gaps, directly impacting mission-critical communications. Furthermore, the lack of dedicated spectrum and reliance on shared commercial spectrum means T-Mobile cannot guarantee priority access or preemption in congested or disaster scenarios outside urban core zones.
Even T-Mobile’s own disclosure admits: “Coverage is not available everywhere and may be impacted by location, environment, network congestion, and device capabilities.”
“A disclaimer might satisfy lawyers, but it doesn’t help a crew trying to transmit a mayday in the heat of battle. When we say ‘mission critical,’ there can’t be fine print. Commercial networks follow the population. FirstNet focuses on readiness and follows the danger. When the tones drop, our citizens won’t care about splitting the baby to satisfy commercial interests. They’ll care that we were connected, coordinated, and mission capable.” – Chief Jones
Band 14: The Backbone of Mission-Critical Broadband
Not all spectrum is created equal. T-Mobile’s network relies largely on mid- and high-band 5G frequencies—great for speed, weak for penetration. Band 14, the federally licensed low-band spectrum that powers FirstNet, was built specifically for public safety. Its 700 MHz signal punches through walls, concrete, and terrain where higher frequencies fade out. When a firefighter keys a mic inside a structure, or a medic transmits ECG data from an ambulance bay, that low-band propagation can mean the difference between a message received—or lost.
Speed is irrelevant if the signal doesn’t reach you. That’s why Band 14 remains the operational standard for mission-critical broadband.
Interoperability Isn’t Optional
Public safety is a team sport. Every large-scale incident demands seamless cooperation between fire, EMS, law enforcement, and emergency management. T-Mobile’s public safety program leans on consumer-grade devices and commercial applications that “may vary by region” in interoperability. In other words: your gear might not talk to the agency next door. By contrast, the FirstNet certified ecosystem is designed and stress-tested for cross-agency operability. When multiple jurisdictions roll on a major incident, your devices must connect instantly—not “after an update.”
“The FirstNet Promise, mission-critical connectivity keeps command in control. They understand the operational reality: if your handset can’t talk across agencies, you’re not interoperable—you’re isolated.” – David Fogerson
The Network-Slicing Mirage
“Network slicing” is the latest buzzword in broadband marketing. T-Mobile brands its version “T-Priority,” claiming it gives first responders higher access during congestion. But here’s the catch: it’s software-based, not federally mandated preemption. There’s no oversight, no enforceable guarantee, and no assurance of where your agency truly ranks in a crisis. T-Mobile’s own public statement reads: “Priority and preemption features are managed through network software and do not guarantee service availability in all conditions.” For public safety, that’s unacceptable. You can’t build mission assurance on marketing algorithms.
“Resilience isn’t an algorithm, it’s a discipline.” – Rob Patterson
T-Mobile Direct-to-Cell: Marketing vs. Reality
T-Mobile Direct-to-Cell is a satellite-enabled service provided through a partnership with Starlink that allows unmodified LTE and 5G phones to connect directly to satellites when terrestrial cell towers are unavailable. The service operates on a narrowband (approximately 5 MHz) channel shared across a large satellite footprint, resulting in very low data throughput, comparable to kilobit speeds per user. While the technology represents an advance by offering basic messaging and location services without specialized equipment, its current capacity and performance are limited with voice and limited data capabilities planned for future rollout.
Coverage and connectivity rely heavily on a clear line of sight to the sky, making indoor and vehicular reception a challenge at best where the ability to use the service even exists. Thus, despite T-Mobile’s marketing claims suggesting “5G from space” and expansive coverage, this service should not be viewed as a substitute for terrestrial broadband or mission-critical communications as its practical use today is largely limited to basic texting and emergency messaging in areas without cellular coverage, not real-time voice or high-speed data applications.
Security—not just an afterthought, but purpose driven
Across the disciplines listed above, there is a common desire to protect some of the most sensitive information sets. A recent publication highlighted sensitive T-Mobile customer and government communications intercepted via unencrypted satellite backhaul links, exposing a broader vulnerability in rural networks relying on satellite transmission. Researchers showed that inexpensive equipment could eavesdrop on voice calls, texts, and metadata, revealing critical security gaps likely present in other carriers using outdated systems. This underscores the urgent need for comprehensive encryption across all network segments.
T-Mobile acknowledged the problem and stated it promptly encrypted the affected satellite links after notification, emphasizing the issue was limited to certain remote network paths. While one might take comfort in their ability to promptly fix the issue, coupled with the statement that “most traffic” remained secure and network safety was prioritized, the incident reveals a concerning oversight, as such basic security flaws should have been addressed proactively rather than discovered externally, highlighting the ongoing necessity for vigilance and rigorous security standards in evolving satellite and wireless networks.
Resilience Demands More Than Automation
T-Mobile heavily promotes its commercial recovery assets, which are not a dedicated, federally governed public safety fleet.
FirstNet maintains call centers dedicated to First Responders. These professionals understand their needs and can act fast to send the resources necessary.
Public Safety Leaders should ask tough questions:
How many dedicated deployables exist, and where are they pre-staged across the country?
What are the activation time SLAs, especially under multi-state disaster conditions?
Who controls deployment priorities—public safety or the carrier?
Automation and AI rerouting may optimize consumer traffic, but real situational resilience requires redundancy and public safety grade oversight. Without dedicated, public safety-specific redundancies, automated systems can introduce single points of failure.
“Dedicated deployables keep first responders connected when infrastructure fails.” – Dave Fogerson
Conclusion
While T-Mobile’s public safety offering introduces concepts of innovative prioritization technology and support to a large commercial footprint, it is presently constrained by significant limitations in coverage, operability, device compatibility, and infrastructure resilience—particularly in rural and underserved areas, all of which are critical to public safety efforts. Extreme caution is advised for users who rely on comprehensive, robust, and vetted public safety communications to carefully consider these disclaimers and operational gaps before adopting T-Mobile, or any provider, as a public safety service.
The importance of continued congressional authorization of the FirstNet Authority cannot be overstated. FirstNet is the only nationwide, public safety-grade broadband network built specifically for the unique demands of first responders. It has proven itself as a financially self-sustaining, mission-critical resource that supports millions of connections and thousands of agencies across the country. Reauthorizing FirstNet ensures uninterrupted development, maintenance, and expansion of this indispensable network, safeguarding public safety communications into the future. Congress must act promptly to preserve this vital infrastructure that directly impacts lives and public safety every day.
Las Vegas, NV (November 10, 2025) – 93% of America’s first responders — police, fire, and EMS — want Congress to reauthorize the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority). It is the agency that oversees FirstNet, America’s dedicated public safety broadband network. FirstNet’s infrastructure, which includes Band 14 (the radio spectrum reserved by Congress for first responders), is operated under a competitively bid contract won by AT&T.
This near-unanimous endorsement of FirstNet is based on a new bipartisan national survey commissioned by the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association (PSBTA), which advocates on behalf of police, fire, and EMS communications users. The survey of 500 first responders nationwide was conducted October 2–12, 2025, by Fabrizio Ward and Impact Research on behalf of the PSBTA. The survey’s margin of error is ±4.4%. The full survey can be viewed here.
The reason the PSBTA commissioned the survey is because the FirstNet Authority will cease to exist in December 2027 —- aka it will be “sunsetted” — unless Congress reauthorizes it. The FirstNet Authority was created by Congress in response to the 9/11 Commission Report.
It documented the issues that contributed to the severity of the attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. One of the most serious problems the Commission found was inadequate first responder communications, which added to the 9/11’s horrific casualty rate.
“There is broad support (93%) among America’s first responders for Congress reauthorizing the FirstNet Authority,” said the Impact Research survey memorandum. “There is similarly high support (86%) among first responders for getting rid of the sunset provision of the law authorizing FirstNet.”
Despite being created by Congress, FirstNet is self-funded and requires no taxpayer dollars. More than 30,000 public safety agencies across America rely on FirstNet to keep their officers reliably connected and the general public safe.
Three Key Findings
There are three key findings from the Impact Research (IR) survey, which interviewed both users and non-users of FirstNet.
The most striking result: “Among the nearly two-thirds (62%) of first responders who use FirstNet, the satisfaction rate is 99%,” according to the IR survey memo. “FirstNet’s strong standing extends to its operating partner: 85% are aware AT&T operates the network, and among those, 94% approve of the job AT&T has done.”
A second noteworthy finding: Of those public safety people surveyed, 91% want all network partners to be U.S.-based and U.S.-owned — including those networks used by first responders to keep the public safe. “Most first responders (77%) are aware that some telecom operators and equipment manufacturers that operate in the United States are foreign-owned,” said the IR survey memo. “There is concern (84%) over foreign-owned carriers and manufacturers selling for-profit communication services to American first responders, with concern rising to 95% among leadership.”
For the record, AT&T is an American multinational telecommunications company. Its corporate headquarters are in Dallas, Texas.
The third noteworthy finding: Not only do 93% of the IR survey’s public safety respondents want the FirstNet Authority to be reauthorized, but 86% support permanent authorization by ending the sunset provision.
Big Fears if FirstNet is Not Reauthorized
If Congress fails to act, the first responders surveyed fear dire consequences. Their biggest fears are linked to a return to the impediments of 9/11, when inadequate public safety communications resulted in needless deaths.
If FirstNet ceases to exist, this will happen because no substitute is available. So-called “public safety services” offered by non-FirstNet carriers lack access to Band 14 and do not provide first responders with the 24/7 priority coverage that FirstNet delivers for public safety’s data, video, and voice traffic
“Top concerns are losing priority access to communication networks (81% concerned) and having difficulty communicating during emergency events (80% concerned),” the IR survey memo said. “Police officers were especially concerned about difficulty communicating (85%).”
That’s not all. “First responders are concerned this would put public safety at risk (78% concerned) by having to rely on the same commercial carriers the public uses (76% concerned),” said the IR survey memo. “79% concerned overall that locations with poor commercial coverage would suffer from degraded communication access; this rises to 88% in rural areas.”
As well, “First responders are concerned (79% concerned) that without FirstNet’s advanced security, communications would be more vulnerable to hacks and foreign disruption of the emergency response network,” the IR survey memo said. “First responders are [also] concerned about the costs of having to develop a replacement solution over a short timeframe (78% concerned overall). This concern is higher among leadership (90% concerned).”
The bottom line: “This research makes clear what first responders already know — FirstNet works,” said Richard Carrizzo, PSBTA President. “Congress must act to keep it running for those who protect us and save lives every day.
As you know, I was part of the first responder community that fought for what is now FirstNet. We were engaged in the language of the legislation and worked with Congress to get it created. Specifically, it is a nationwide public safety broadband network built on the basis of a public-private partnership and as a single network. I was one of a few hundred that caused this to happen and was part of the leadership team. One item that was of extreme importance was that we needed to stand together to find a common solution. We spent days reviewing all the past attempts where cities, regions and states tried to build on their own networks. That list is long and mostly forgotten, but hundreds of millions of dollars were spent of taxpayer funds and they all failed. Primarily, it was too costly. Capital costs were in the hundreds of millions with annual costs totaling tens of millions of dollars. That is the proven reality of local builds or what the opposition is calling local control.
So, what is it that got me thinking this morning? Well, I was looking at some of the public safety technology news feeds and I was reading an article about how much data 911 centers are going to be pushing to first responders in every jurisdiction nationwide. Things like video, floorplans, satellite images, augmented reality overlays and situational awareness applications just to name a few. That is a lot of data to push and to receive. Imagine 20, 30, 40 or more first responders needing to view the interior of a building. Everyone reading this knows, and yes “knows” that a commercial carrier won’t allow that much data without either throttling it (slowing your speeds or limiting data) or charging you more money to do it (again, that has been done already). Just look at all of the new applications that companies like Motorola and RapidSOS are building for public safety. It is amazing. You might even ask yourself what has caused this boom. Well, it was FirstNet. Public safety has a network that makes it a reality. Because of FirstNet we have seen an explosion in the tools that first responders use every day. And as most of you know, we need FirstNet because not only have commercial carriers throttled public safety, charge more for high data use, they have also turned off commercial cell sites because it cost them too much to operate and wasn’t profitable for them. Yet, at the same time, as other carriers turned off sites, FirstNet was building more sites and improving its coverage.
This brings me to the topic of the day and why the 4.9GHz band needs FirstNet. The need to keep FirstNet robust and on the cutting edge. You do that with the allocation of the 4.9GHz public safety broadband network to FirstNet so that it is part of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network spectrum holdings. For FirstNet to meet the future needs of public safety, additional spectrum needs to be added to the FirstNet network. Full stop! Others inaccurately like to pontificate by saying that it will become AT&T spectrum. Not true. AT&T is the contractor to build and operate FirstNet. They don’t own FirstNet. This is an easy lie to tell by the opposition, but it is a blatant lie to say AT&T will own the spectrum. The reality is that FirstNet is governed by a Board of Public Safety Officials that must follow federal law in everything it does. We don’t know how they will enable it, but that is why they are there. Remember, the FirstNet Authority consists of a board of public safety officials, private sector executives and a professional staff. It is their job to do what is best for public safety. And so far, their record is outstanding. 5.5 million users on the network, 27,000 agencies and thousands of applications all in just a few short years. They have built the largest and most effective public safety broadband network in the world. Clearly, they can be trusted to do what is best for OUR network. They have proven it!
Yet with all that good work there are those that oppose it. Many would ask why would someone oppose something that has proven to be a major success for all of public safety? The simple answer is money. This coalition, that has become known as CERCI, has as its major supporters Verizon and T-Mobile. That is simple to understand. Many of those 5.5 million users left their commercial networks for a hardened public safety network that offers true priority, preemption and local control. The math is simple. Let’s say one of the carriers lost 1 million of those 5.5 million to FirstNet. Take whatever number you want to use as an average monthly cell phone bill and multiply by 1 million times 12 and that is at minimum lost revenue by that carrier. That number will be in the area of one half a billion dollars a year. Now that is corporate motivation!
Next, you have utilities that want free spectrum to build their own networks. They need spectrum for their own operations and without it, they, as for-profit companies, must buy spectrum like any other company which would cost them billions of dollars. If they save that money with free spectrum, their stock price goes up and they make huge profits. Sometimes they use their excess spectrum for commercial use selling it to other companies. They are all motivated strictly for corporate gain.
Then you have a couple of public safety associations that are supporting CERCI. I can’t tell you exactly why they have partnered with Verizon, T-Mobile, Edison Electric, and others and have proposed to share our public safety spectrum with the critical infrastructure industry (CII), (and yes that is part of their position.) but I do think it is time for them, the public safety board members of those associations, to explain how allowing CII, which includes utilities, transportation, commercial facilities, financial sector, defense industry and others, to use your spectrum is good for you. I also know that only those states, counties and cities with money could even try and build, but history has shown it will fail. I know that the average first responder will never get access under their plan because they can’t afford to build or effectively manage such networks. I do know that once CII gets access to and uses this spectrum, we will never get them off it.
Here is a little side note related to those few public safety groups supporting CERIC. Representatives supporting the allocation of the spectrum to FirstNet have asked to talk with the boards of the few associations supporting CERCI and have been denied that opportunity. Is that true? If so, why don’t they want to hear both sides? I have also been told that members inside those organizations don’t know why they are supporting CERCI and the sharing of the spectrum. The vast majority of the public safety associations are supporting the allocation of this spectrum to FirstNet. Why are just a couple taking this other path that would cost millions of dollars to deploy?
Look, at the end of the day, we have already tried to build local control networks – been there, done that. Proven and documented. Multiple major cities spent tens of millions of their taxpayer money along with tens of millions of federal grant money to try and they failed. All wasted money. Again, this isn’t speculation – this is fact. My question to any chief officer or sheriff is this: Are you willing to take tens of millions of dollars to build a network that may or may not work when you could use that money for staff to provide direct response to your communities? Are you willing to take the heat from your city councils or your constituents that this service could have come at a lower price from FirstNet? Local builds are just that, they are local and leave behind the vast majority of first responders across the country. The only way to get nationwide coverage and usage is with our only Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, FirstNet.
As the name suggests, the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association’s Vision FirstNet Users Summit (PSBTA, Vision 2023) is all about FirstNet. This is why heavyweights such as Chief Richard Carrizzo, FirstNet Authority Board Chair and Chief of the Southern Platte Fire Protection District in Kansas City, Missouri made a point of attending this year’s conference. It was held at the South Point Spa and Casino in Las Vegas, September 25 to 28, 2023.
“It is important for the Authority to be here, as our job and mission is to build the only public safety broadband network in the United States,” Chief Carrizzo said. “We constantly do engagements with all the public safety disciplines to learn more and to find out what type of network they want and need. Then we take that information and use our investment dollars to improve the network, to continue to build out the network, and to be here at this event. It is important to hear from the users and determine their needs.”
The Same, Yet Different
This is the second Vision summit that Chief Carrizzo has attended, the first being the inaugural event he attended last year.
Asked to compare the two Visions, he said that they are “very similar and very different. And what I mean by that is that the association learned a lot last year from the users that were here and the type of users that were here — and I think they had a vision of what they wanted out of the conference and built upon it. And I would say they were very successful. You can tell that the users that are here this year compared to last year are just more engaged. I see a lot more networking this go-around than in the past. Even at lunch today, it appeared my whole table was sitting there exchanging business cards and talking about what other entities were doing. It was just wonderful to see as a user, and as the chair.”
Based on his informal observations, Chief Carrizzo says that attendance to Vision 2023, when compared to Vision 2022, has more than doubled. “It’s probably pretty safe to say the morning sessions are completely full,” he said. “For the first session, they had to bring out more chairs because there wasn’t enough sitting space for all the participants. Things like that are just wonderful to see as the association continues to grow for the users. I mean, that’s what we have to remember is that they’re doing this for the users: It’s not a selfish reason. It’s for the users, for them to be better, to share and network, and to build upon the system.”
Two Different Perspectives, One Person
As mentioned at the outset of this article, Chief Richard Carrizzo is attending Visions 2023 both as FirstNet Chair and Kansas City fire chief. This is why this one person has two perspectives on the conference.
Speaking as FirstNet Chair, being here at Vision 2023 is all about spending its share of the fees collected from AT&T in ways that truly address the needs of FirstNet users. “We use that money for our investments,” said Chief Carrizzo. “Our belief is that, in order to make the appropriate investments, we need to hear from the public safety community through numerous engagements. And this is just one of those engagements that we’re using to learn.”
Speaking as a person who is a fire chief, he is here to learn more about what’s happening with FirstNet for his department. That’s why Chief Carrizzo came to Vision 2023 with his deputy chief of technology. “I brought him here based on what I saw last year,” the Chief said. “I know he’s going to take back a lot of things. I’ve been watching him on the sidelines and just networking nonstop, and I know he’s learning things and teaching people things at the same time based on his skills.”
All of these reasons explain why Chief Richard Carrizzo will be back for a third time next year, attending Vision 2024. As for why other first responders should come to this PSBTA event? “I stated this morning in my ‘Welcome to Day Two’ talk was that what I see coming out of this conference is a lot of leaders, whether they’re leaders in their own organization or whether they’re leaders in the usage of the broadband network,” he said. “But what we’re missing is more leaders — and so how do we get those other leaders? So I put it out to everybody that’s here is that you need to reach out to your associations and groups that you belong to, whether they’re state associations or whatever, and publicize this event because this is all about having the leaders of FirstNet users here. The more leaders that we can have here and the more that they can learn from it, the better.”
Being able to get signals in and out of buildings is a top priority for first responders. This is why the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association’s Vision FirstNet Users Summit (PSBTA, Vision 2023) focused on this issue during its Las Vegas conference. The event was held at the South Point Spa and Casino September 25 to 28, 2023.
John Foley is Managing Director of the Safer Buildings Coalition (SBC), a not-for-profit organization who advocates for the elimination of in-building wireless dead zones. He was one of four speakers during the Vision 2023 session, ‘FirstNet & In-Building Communications’, which was held September 27th.
According to Foley, the dangers associated with inadequate in-building communications are literally life-threatening for first responders and the general public. “When you’re disconnected, you’re not safe,” he said. “For years we’ve advocated that you should be able to make a 911 call and be quickly located. Mass notification messages [also] need to get to people wherever they are so that they can be aware and respond to them appropriately. And most importantly, first responder communications must work inside buildings.”
Given how important in-building communications are for public safety, one might have thought that the problem would be eased in more modern structures. But the opposite is true: “This problem is actually getting worse as new buildings are being erected with new construction materials,” said Foley. “Things like high energy efficiency glass — they call it Low-E glass — actually blocks radio waves. So, it’s impossible to get signals in and out of the building through this glass. As a matter of fact, it is easier to get a radio signal through 12 inches of reinforced concrete than it is to get it through a pane of Low-E glass.”
Running Towards the Problem
John Foley was happy to talk about this issue at Vision 2023 because AT&T, FirstNet, and the SBC are working together to promote in-building installation standards that meet/exceed existing code/industry best practices, and to emphasize the importance of innovative solutions to the problem such as Z-Axis location technology — which adds vertical location data to cellphone calls.
This same company representative had also been attending the Mobile World Congress, which took place in Las Vegas at the same time. “All he heard there was how the wireless carriers were going to pull back on investing in in-building infrastructure,” said Foley. “And then he comes down here to Vision 2023 and hears that not only are AT&T and FirstNet investing in building coverage and having a deliberate strategy to build in-building coverage, but that the FirstNet Authority is devoting reinvestment dollars into products like AT&T’s Cell Booster Pro. So, where half the industry is moving away from investing in in-building coverage, AT&T and FirstNet are running towards it.”
A Solvable Problem
The life-and-death problems associated with inadequate in-building communications are serious indeed, but there is some cause for hope. Besides the efforts of FirstNet and AT&T to address this issue through technology, government is trying to help out as well.
For instance, “fire and building codes require that building owners test for this and correct it where there’s a problem,” Foley said. “As a matter of fact, right here in Clark County, Nevada, every high-rise casino property resort property here has been required to put these systems in.” This change was pushed by the local fire department following the 2017 mass shooting staged from inside the Mandalay Bay hotel, he explained.
Good for the Community, Good for Business
As far as John Foley is concerned, providing adequate in-building coverage is not just a social good but an economically viable enterprise as well — and apparently, he is not alone in this belief.
“I think PSBTA and Safer Buildings share a common principle,” said Foley. “We want to protect life and property, but we also understand that there has to be a commercially feasible model that has to be there. We want to help solve the public safety problem and the gaps in public safety communications. But it should be done in a way to make a living as well. And so, finding that balance of helping industry do well while doing good is a very fulfilling thing for all of us.”
John Foley added that this problem needs to start being addressed immediately, because the number of U.S. buildings with inadequate coverage today stands at about a million. “If we were able to do 10,000 buildings a year, it would still take us a hundred years to get all those buildings corrected,” he said. “So, we have to establish some priorities.” To this end, Foley would like to see K-12 schools get fast-tracked for these improvements, along with “high value targets” such as large venues and shopping malls.”
Learn about current efforts to continue to protect the 4.9 GHz Band for public safety as well as recent filings, key decisions impacting these efforts, and how you can support PSSA’s initiative to protect the 4.9 GHz band for public safety.
