FirstNet board approves final RFP for early-January release, with bids due in May
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FirstNet board approves RFP for early-January release, with bids due in May
After a winning partner has been selected, FirstNet will be able to propose its plan to each of the 56 states and territories, hopefully during the early part of 2017. At that point, each governor will decide whether to accept FirstNet’s plan or the “opt out” alternative, which requires the state to build the radio access network (RAN) within its jurisdiction.
FirstNet officials hope that governors will make these decisions by the end of 2017, which would allow the proposed public-safety broadband network to be operational during 2018 in some parts of the country.
FirstNet’s RFP will total 508 pages, but 339 of the pages are attachments (more than 100 pages were included in FirstNet’s draft RFP that was released in April). Kennedy described the core portion of the RFP, which includes the sections A through M that are typical in a federal procurement, as “quite concise,” particularly for such a large procurement.
Although the RFP follows the structure of a standard federal procurement, Kennedy said the objectives-based approach is far from typical.
“Because we’re looking at a public-private-partnership model and we’ve gone with a statement of objectives, we have not been overly prescriptive,” Kennedy said. “A lot of other RFPs of this size would have over 10,000 requirements and very detailed ways to respond to each and every item.
“We’ve very much stayed with where we’ve been all along, with a statement of objectives. We’re not telling industry how to respond to it; we’re telling them the outcomes that we’re looking for. That’s very non-standard, but we’ve been able to layer it into the standard sections, but the actual RFP that people will read I think will be very refreshing and different from what they’ve done before.”
There were two government
There were two government built Public Safety 4G LTE networks operational years before FirstNet was even a reality. Those networks were the by-product of the NPSBN spectrum being available for local government use; and local governments working with their selected vendors to become operational. Adams County Colorado was live on the NPSBN spectrum in 2011 long before the suspension that enabled the creation of FirstNet. Those systems were testing and operating 4G LTE Mobile Data on their networks including existing communication applications and devices.
FirstNet indeed has a history of hard starts. It has also become much more sophisticated in its delivery of information. The RFP while long awaited will be the proof of the pudding. I expect that Public Safety will finally take the initiative on its own to actually evaluate the “Give for the Get” from FirstNet.
The “Give” of the loss of local cost and operational controls; and the actual going from being owner operators of their current Broadband systems ( with their selected carriers); for the “Get” of becoming “Customers” of a national one carrier based system.
Local responders must evaluate their current capabilities of existing Public Safety Responder Broadband Interoperability on a local and practical level; to the promised national Interoperability. The much heralded FirstNet controlled Public-Private partnership and its actual value to local responders is yet to be determined.
The Public Safety spectrum was given over to FirstNet control by Congress before any hint of the FirstNet build out plan was known. Chairwoman Swenson has been very open about how government is “incapable and cannot build out and maintain such a network” as FirstNet proposes. What she does not acknowledge is that Public Safety built and maintained mission critical networks before LTE was even imagined. The actual differences in the infrastructure nuts and bolts of Land Mobile Radio and cellular are very little. The physics are very different in spectrum and current device performance; but the general build-out and maintenance are not.
Let’s truly hope that FirstNet can produce something better than what they have so far. Billions of dollars and precious spectrum are now actually on the table.
I strongly encourage Public Safety to take a very-very hard look at the FirstNet RFP and the responses received. Consider the “Give for the Get”. How much actual control will the local responders have over the final system, applications, device choices, local cost controls, and the loss of competition between capable providers.
The spot light is just now going to finally be on FirstNet’s proposed solution. Public Safety will still have a say if they choose, on a local level, to buy in regardless of what many of the Governor’s determine for Opting In or Opting Out (which FirstNet has proclaimed will be very difficult to do-seems top down driven to me).
Let’s hope for the best.