New Hampshire issues RFP for public-safety LTE system, but official says no opt-out decision has been made

Under the opt-out process, a governor would not be able to make an opt-out choice until after FirstNet presents its deployment plan for the state or territory—something that likely would not happen until at least mid-2017. Only then can a state begin the lengthy opt-out process, which likely would take at least another year before reaching the stage of negotiating a spectrum-lease agreement with FirstNet.

“We are going to follow the process laid out in the law with every state and territory, as it leads to an informed decision by the governor and ensures there are continued conversations with public safety throughout the process leading up to this decision,” FirstNet spokesman Ryan Oremland said today in a prepared statement.

When asked about the spectrum situation, Stevens said that “we’re in discussions with all parties involved,” but he said the state is not in spectrum-lease negotiations with FirstNet.

“We are unfamiliar with the territory in the future, and we just want to place the state in the best possible situation as to whatever may happen,” Stevens said.

Although many were surprised by the timing of the New Hampshire RFP, there has been months of speculation that various states and territories would consider conducting an RFP or request for information (RFI) process in an effort to assess potential alternatives before an opt-out decision has to be made. In addition, the law associated with the opt-out process only provides 180 days for a state or territory to complete an RFP—a very compressed timeline, particularly for a larger state—so some states expressed interest in conducting the process early.

During last week’s board meeting, FirstNet CEO Mike Poth addressed the fact that some states and territories were looking to take action, although he did not talk about the possible release of state RFPs specifically.

“One of the keys that we understand … is that states are getting anxious,” Poth said during the meeting, which was webcast. “But we all have to remind ourselves, the statute does set up a process as to how we're going to go about [this]; and we're going as fast as it practically makes sense to get a proposal, select a partner, get state plans out, so that the states can make informed decisions as to what's in the best interest of their ultimate end customers, the public-safety community.

“So we're asking for your patience. Just hang tight; I know everyone's getting anxious. We're starting to hear a lot of states, ‘We've got to get going now.’ And we feel that urgency, too.”