FirstNet board to consider program roadmap during tomorrow’s meeting

FirstNet committees today approved various portions of a proposed program roadmap for the organization deploying a nationwide public-safety broadband network, setting the stage for the full board to consider adoption of the plan during tomorrow’s meeting.

FirstNet board members will have the opportunity to vote on the “very comprehensive” roadmap that has been developed during the past three months, according to FirstNet General Manager Bill D’Agostino.

“This is an exciting stage that I know management, the board and public safety have all been looking forward to for some time now,” D’Agostino said before the beginning of the committee meetings, which were webcast. “We are solidifying our program roadmap, which includes specific procurement and negotiating strategies that help us maximize the value we can deliver to public safety.”

Much of the four committees’ deliberations today were conducted in closed sessions, because the items being discussed involved legal, personnel and procurement matters, D’Agostino said. Each committee provided a summary of its closed-session deliberations after convening in public, and more details about the program roadmap are expected to be available tomorrow during the full board meeting and beyond, he said.

“The good news is that we have reached this milestone and that, at the end of the board meeting tomorrow, we plan to discuss the factors we were deliberating in closed sessions,” D’Agostino said. “We'll put as much of this discussion in public session as prudent, within our statutory requirements.

“Most importantly, however, in the months that follow, we plan on seeking robust public comment and additional debate in several ways, including certain notice-and-comment processes and draft requests for proposals. We believe that getting to these important discussions and the requests for proposals is critical to the success of FirstNet. I'd like to thank the public-safety and vendor communities for their continued support, encouragement and the desire to see FirstNet succeed.”

Tomorrow’s FirstNet board meeting is scheduled to begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern time. A webcast of the meeting can be viewed at the new FirstNet website that was launched today.