Should Congress create a FirstNet-like entity to tackle next-generation 911?

The same thing could have been said about the notion of a nationwide public-safety broadband network five years ago. But Congress created a sense of direction by enacting the FirstNet legislation that provided key assets—20 MHz of prime 700 MHz spectrum and $7 billion in funding—and established the goal and basic parameters to accomplish the mission.

Whether FirstNet ultimately is successful will not be decided for some time, but there is little doubt that having a well-staffed entity with a singular focus of deploying the proposed first-responder broadband network has helped immensely in coordinating the efforts to break down barriers that existed previously. Having such a focused entity at the federal level could help NG911 become a reality, as well.

This does not mean that Congress necessarily should create an entity that is an NG911 clone of FirstNet, tasked with deploying a nationwide system. The NG911 rollout is a very different endeavor, in part because the standards, governing bodies and much of the physical infrastructure already exist—and, in some areas, the next-generation initiative already is well under way.

It may be that that the NG911 effort would be better served by a federal model that mirrors the interstate highway system, with states building infrastructure to federal performance and reliability standards. A federal NG911 entity could help distribute any new funding that Congress would make available, ensure that standards are met and help eliminate legal barriers. A federal NG911 entity also could provide help with things like cybersecurity and geographic information system (GIS) mapping—much-needed services that might be handled more efficiently from a federal level.

Of course, that is only one approach, and people much smarter than me likely have much better ideas. With this in mind, I look forward to reading the final TFOPA recommendations that will address funding, cybersecurity and technical issues.

While it may not be clear how best to implement NG911, there should no doubt that getting NG911 deployed needs to be a national priority. Implementing the FirstNet broadband network or NG911 in a geographic area will be a significant improvement, but the combination of having both of these IP-based technologies in use across a large geographic region promises to have a transformative impact on public safety.