FirstNet Receives 642 Questions on Draft RFP (6/4/15)
By Sandra Wendelken
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) has received 642 questions about its draft request for proposals (RFP) and special notice, said Acting Executive Director TJ Kennedy during a June 3 board meeting.
Responses to the draft RFP and special notice are due July 27. Comments for FirstNet’s third public notice on the definition of public-safety entity are due June 4.
Kennedy revealed data from a market research project the board conducted about the public-safety mobile data market.
He said the findings validated the major themes of the special notice and draft RFP, including the addressable market of 4 million to 13 million public-safety users for the FirstNet network. The research found there are about 4 million law enforcement, fire and EMS users, along with an additional 9 million “other public-safety users.”
The research also found that most first responders use mobile data, but reliable broadband access could greatly expand its use and impact. The mobile data penetration rate is 73 percent among EMS users, 66 percent for fire users and 54 percent for law enforcement. As part of their job in the field, 94 percent of respondents use data-enabled mobile devices, the research found.
A broadband network would support interoperability and reduce network congestion, the market research said. Coverage, reliability and speed are key attributes needed for adoption. Priority access is necessary during emergencies.
Text messaging, email and Internet, communication with dispatch and reports were the applications most used on a daily basis, the research said. Network reliability and coverage were the most important factors for mobile data use, followed by network speed and data security, said respondents.
FirstNet contracted a global advisory services firm to conduct the research on the public-safety mobile data market.
The methodology included interviews with high-level public-safety officials for opinions on the current state of telecommunications capabilities and issues facing public safety. A Web-based survey of first responder mobile data users and decision makers and secondary research from a variety of sources to obtain relevant data and provide additional context also were used.
Kennedy presented the information during FirstNet’s June board meeting in San Diego. Also during the meeting, Harlin McEwen, chairman of the Public Safety Advisory Committee (PSAC), which funnels information to FirstNet, outlined the committee’s recent work. Three PSAC task teams are working on three different topics: priority and pre-emption, public-safety grade and user equipment.
A tribal working group is developing guidelines for state points of contact to engage with tribes. In addition, an early builder working group is focusing on documenting strategies and lessons learned.
FirstNet Conducts State Consultation Meeting with Minnesota Sept 30, 2014
The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) conducted its initial state consultation meeting with Minnesota. This was FirstNet’s second state consultation meeting, following a July meeting with Maryland. The Minnesota meeting included key public-safety leaders from across the state, including Commissioner Mona Dohman of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety, who also serves as the state’s single point of contact (SPOC) for FirstNet. Dozens of state and local public-safety representatives from across the state also attended.
“One lesson learned from the Maryland meeting was the importance of hearing directly from local public-safety officials,” said Dave Buchanan, director state consultation, FirstNet. “We brought this lesson learned to our planning with Minnesota, which resulted in multiple representatives from a diversity of agencies and public-safety disciplines participating the consultation.”
Minnesota officials started with an overview of the state’s governance efforts to coordinate planning for the network, as well as details of their approach to collecting user information and coverage priorities.
Jackie Mines, director of emergency communication networks for the state of Minnesota, provided an update on the Minnesota-FirstNet Consultation Project (Mn-FCP), which is the leading the state’s education and outreach initiatives. The main project objectives are to prepare the state and its public-safety communications governance structure for FirstNet consultation; perform the consultation process required under the Act; and develop the Minnesota strategic plan.
Mines had several local public-safety responders speak to specific incidents in the state, including the I-35W bridge collapse, the Pagami Creek Wildfire and the multiple Red River floods. The speakers explained how emergency responders used mobile data in each instance, if it was available, and how a dedicated mobile data network could have enhanced their response efforts to those emergencies, Buchanan said in a blog about the meeting.
“Another lesson learned from Maryland was having a dialog about the FirstNet organization, our planning, strategy and approach,” said Buchanan. “Starting the conversation by establishing a baseline of knowledge was critical. We were able to open the Minnesota meeting with significant dialog about the FirstNet acquisition strategy, RFI [request for information], SOO [statement of objectives], and notice and public comment approach, which provided every Minnesota participant with most up-to-date information and specific details about FirstNet. This resulted in a more productive meeting, and allowed the more of the dialog to focus on the consultative topics like coverage, capacity, user population and use case examples.”
During the September FirstNet board meeting, officials said the next meetings will take place in Oregon, Washington and Montana, with a goal of conducting six to eight more by the end of the year.