FirstNet must balance transparency, security goals during upcoming talks with state, public-safety officials
This reality could impact how many people can be on the draft-review team—and those with full access to the final state plan, when that is delivered—for a given state or territory that gets the most detailed information about the state plan. It’s possible that the number of people given this level of access will be limited, and those getting this access probably will have to sign very strict non-disclosure agreements.
One would hope that FirstNet could provide publicly at least the kind of coverage maps and deployment plans that commercial carriers provide today when the state plans are finalized, so public-safety agencies and budgetary decision makers can understand when FirstNet services may become a legitimate option in their geographic jurisdictions.
But FirstNet’s primary appeal to public safety may not be coverage. In highly populous areas, FirstNet may not be able to do any more than match the coverage provided by existing commercial carriers. FirstNet’s ability to provide prioritized access to first responders is certainly a benefit, and the access to spectrum and priority levels can be explained publicly.
However, the promise of greater reliability and security are among FirstNet’s most enticing characteristics to the first-responder community. Devising a way to tell this story with enough detail to satisfy public-safety and elected officials—without risking exposure of critical network information in the process—could prove to be a challenging task for FirstNet in its discussions with state officials.