Anticipation increases as FirstNet-proposal countdown hits the one-week mark

Getting this groundwork in place during the next several months is critical, because the FirstNet RFP proposes a lot of activity toward deployment after the FirstNet contractor is selected and signs a 25-year deal—something FirstNet officials have targeted for Nov. 1.

There may be limited wiggle room in the deployment plans proposed by the FirstNet contractor—remember the deal will have been signed by the contractor at that point—but it is important for local and state officials to understand the public-safety coverage needs in their jurisdictions, so potential changes can be negotiated before state plans are finalized.

In addition, all implications associated with a potential opt-out decision by the governor should be examined thoroughly and input provided appropriately. When state plans are distributed—targeted for early next May—governors have 90 days to determine whether they will pursue the opt-out alternative, and they will have 180 after that to complete a procurement process to select their own contractor to build the radio access network (RAN) in their jurisdictions.

Of course, all of those timetables are just projections included in the RFP. FirstNet has done an excellent job of sticking to timelines thus far but that may not be possible to accomplish moving forward, if outside influences intervene—for example, if someone protests the procurement process, or if a state challenges the opt-out procedures in court.

In terms of the information available next Tuesday, no one expects FirstNet to reveal the names of the prime entities making proposals, much less all of the companies that are part of the offeror teams. What will be interesting is whether some of the offeror teams will decide to reveal themselves, so potential public-safety customers—assuming the offeror is named as the contractor—are not left in the dark for months and surprised when a contract is signed.

If this happens, it would not be surprising to hear some new names as the prime offeror. After all, this is an unprecedented venture requiring unique teams of companies that otherwise would not considering partnering—in some cases, they may be business competitors. Given this, some new entities may be created to pursue the FirstNet opportunity for legal and accounting reasons, even if the prime offeror and supporting vendors all have familiar names.

Thus far, the two entities that publicly have stated plans to pursue the FirstNet contract are AT&T and Rivada Networks. Meanwhile, various analyst reports have named Verizon and pdvWireless (O’Brien’s latest venture) as other potential prime offerors. Dozens of other companies are expected to be involved, but most are expected to be part of offeror teams led by others, and many could be on multiple teams.

What will be revealed next Tuesday and during the following weeks is uncertain, but it’s doubtful that offerors—if they release anything—will provide insights into details such as proposed pricing while the evaluation process is ongoing. Still, just knowing that there are proposals on the table for FirstNet should be extremely valuable to public-safety agencies and policymakers. It certainly would be a welcome contrast to 2008, when there were no qualifying bids submitted in the FCC’s 700 MHz D Block spectrum.

It could be months before public safety gets to open this Christmas present and learn the pricing/coverage details proposed by the contractor, but it would be nice to know that there is something under the tree.