Here’s the aspect of FirstNet’s independence that should matter most to public-safety agencies, potential offerors

It will be interesting to see what kind oversight and access rules will be implemented on the FirstNet account, but the establishment of a separate account should remove the temptation to use any surplus funds in the account for non-FirstNet purposes. This is important, because such “raiding” tactics have been used for years by several state legislatures to divert dedicated 911 funds to balance budgets during lean years, thereby limiting the state’s ability to fund deployment of technologies such as next-generation 911.

Based on the model outlined in FirstNet’s RFP, the organization’s ongoing funding will come primarily from the regularly scheduled payments made by the contractor to FirstNet. These numbers can change based on state opt-out decisions and potential financial penalties that the contractor would pay for not meeting performance goals, but the key thing is that the revenue would not come from taxpayers. As a result, FirstNet’s financial situation should not be impacted by a government shutdown, if one should occur.

Not only is this a sign that FirstNet should be able to deliver the kind of network continuity that public safety demands, it  also is a sign that FirstNet would not be dependent on government funding. And when an entity is no longer financially dependent, it has a very important kind of independence—a practical independence, which probably is more significant than any legal independence.

As an example, consider the family unit. No matter how many  laws get passed adjusting the age limits for various rites of passage—to get a driver’s license, to vote, to serve in the military, to sign a contract, to drink legally—the one dynamic that has never changes is the understanding that, as long as the parent/guardian is paying the kid’s bills, the kid typically is subject to the rules of the parent/guardian.

Conversely, after the kid has a job and has purchased a home, the parent/guardian has considerably less influence than it did previously. It is part of the natural cycle of growing up, with the kid becoming an independent person contributing to society.

Today, FirstNet is like a kid living in his/her parents’ home. If the vision outlined in the RFP becomes reality and the much-anticipated public-safety broadband network is deployed nationwide in a manner that is self-sustaining, it would be the equivalent of the kid finding a job, moving out and buying his/her own house—and gaining a level of independence that is more significant than anything that can be written in a policy.

A final prediction: If this FirstNet vision becomes reality and a sustainable nationwide network is built for just $7 billion—a fraction of the actual cost—Congress will want to learn as many details as possible about how FirstNet pulled this off. My guess is that Congress would like to see if this model can be replicated elsewhere, so it can get a few other “kids” out of the house.