Colorado deal with FirstNet does not include integration plans for Adams County public-safety LTE network

Colorado officials have said that AT&T has committed to building 35 additional cell sites beyond those identified in the FirstNet plan for the state, but a commitment to integrate the Adams County public-safety LTE network was not part of the Colorado “opt-in” agreement, according to AT&T.

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper on Monday announced his that he accepted the FirstNet deployment plan—and the additional 35 cell sites—in making his “opt-in” decision, but the public ceremony made no mention of the Adams County system, which was one of the first public-safety LTE networks deployed in the United States.

While it remains possible that the Adams County network could be integrated into the nationwide FirstNet system being deployed by AT&T, the fate of the Adams County network was not solidified as part of the state’s “opt-in” arrangement, according to an AT&T spokesperson.  

“We are in continued discussions with Adams County to see what current assets could potentially be integrated into the FirstNet network in Colorado as we work to bring the state the first-of-its-kind public safety broadband network,” the AT&T spokesperson said in a prepared statement provided to IWCE’s Urgent Communications.

Earlier this month, AT&T reached an agreement with the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) board to integrate the LA-RICS public-safety LTE network into the FirstNet system. However, that integration deal is contingent upon California Gov. Jerry Brown making an “opt-in” decision by the Dec. 28 deadline, which had not happened as of this article being posted.

Like LA-RICS, the Adams County public-safety LTE deployment was funded with federal grants from the Broadband Technology Opportunity Program (BTOP); in fact, the Adams County network was the first public-safety LTE system deployed that was funded with BTOP money. Overall, the Adams County system was the second public-safety LTE deployed, trailing only the network built in Harris County, Texas.