The board of directors overseeing the design, construction and governance of a nationwide interoperable public safety wireless broadband communications network held their first meeting this week, marking another step toward the establishment of the FirstNet system.
Among the FirstNet board’s first actions were the approval of a number of resolutions including the establishment of a state, regional, local and tribal consultation committee to help with conducting outreach and other work involving stakeholders in public safety community.
Another resolution designates that a subgroup of the Department of Homeland Security’s SAFECOM group, which is a stakeholder driven emergency communications program within the Office of Emergency Communications and Office for Interoperability and Compatibility, as the FirstNet board’s public safety advisory committee.
The board also directed that its chairman formally ask the Federal Communications Commission to issue the license for the 700 MHz broadband safety spectrum to FirstNet.
Board members also discussed conceptual plans for a network design that leverages existing architecture and developing applications for public safety use.
Congress has authorized up to $7 billion potentially to establish FirstNet.
“The confluence of three critical factors marks a real difference in our ability to execute against the FirstNet goals,” Sam Ginn, chairman of the FirstNet board, said in a statement on Tuesday. “The contribution of extremely useful nationwide spectrum, the allocation of funding by the Congress, and the rapid development and deployment of LTE wireless technology will all serve FirstNet well as we collaborate with interested parties to chart the best path forward.”
The FirstNet board, which is an independent authority within the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications & Information Administration, was created last month (Defense Daily, Aug. 21).