Next week’s meetings could set stage for potentially transformative year in public-safety communications

On these fronts, the good news is that FirstNet and NG911 are new, so they can be designed to include the latest and greatest cybersecurity tools from their inception. In addition, it is crucial that the interfaces between FirstNet and 911 systems are coordinated properly to ensure security and smooth communications; otherwise, the value of each could be diminished dramatically.

Perhaps more problematic than the technology challenges are ages-old issues, such as funding. For FirstNet, this likely means getting qualified bids in response to its RFP. For NG911, there is a consensus that a new funding model is needed that accounts for broadband connections, but exactly how that should work is still being debated.

Another question that has not received as much attention as it should is one of jurisdiction. Public-safety communications historically have been services handled by state and local governments. However, there is evidence that the federal government should play a role, hence the establishment of FirstNet and the FCC’s ever-increasing involvement in 911 matters.

As public-safety communications migrate to new IP-based systems, the federal government can play a critical role to more evenly distribute funding throughout the nation and address regulatory issues that may be interstate in nature, such as the widespread 911 outage that occurred last year. it will be interesting to see whether Congress will be receptive to calls for federal funding for NG911 from FCC Commissioner Tom Wheeler and others.

But it is not clear how influential the federal government should be in the use and operation of these critical systems, particularly after they are established. Determining roles and responsibilities is needed quickly, so important strategic decisions are not made in a patchwork manner.

Meanwhile, there is the little matter of national elections that are less than a year away. What, if any, changes will be recommended by a new administration and Congress after the elections?

Clearly, there are more questions than answers at the moment. But we are on track to get an awful lot of answers in a relatively short amount of time, beginning with the meetings during the next two weeks. The results may be the launching point to a dramatic transformation of public-safety communications—not only in the United States but throughout the entire world—or they may show that these ideas simply are not ready for primetime. No matter what the outcome is, it should be fascinating to watch.