FirstNet shares more details about state-plan process during the next year

FirstNet officials hope that this stage after the final state plans are distributed—an action that starts a 90-day clock for governors to decide whether they want their states to opt out and build the radio access network (RAN) within their jurisdictions—will go more smoothly after the draft plans have been “socialized” within the state.

“What we hope to achieve in that socialization process is to take the key influencers and the key decision-makers in the state and satisfy them, in terms of our proposal,” Reed said. “We want to make sure that everyone walks away saying from that saying, ‘This is clearly something that’s good for the state and good for practitioners. FirstNet has been transparent and negotiated with our best interests in mind, and they’re going to deploy a network that satisfies our stakeholders.’

“The intent [is] that a governor would look to the key influencers and say, ‘Is this good for the state?’ and they would shake their heads and say, ‘Yes, this is good for the state.’ That’s our intent. We want to get to the point of that 90-day decision—once we open up the state plan and the online tool to the governor—when that clock starts, the governor can look around and say, ‘Have you done your due diligence?’ and we get that concurrence.”

If a state or territory accepts the FirstNet plan for its jurisdiction, it will be FirstNet’s job to ensure that the contractor executes it, Poth said.

“We turn around and give a task order back to our contractor that says, ‘OK, State A says they’re in. Here’s the plan that you signed up with us to go do,’” Poth said, addressing state officials and public-safety stakeholders. “That becomes your blueprint to hold us accountable and responsible to execute against that plan.

“Then the risk is on FirstNet and our partner to execute to that plan—and the states could and should hold us responsible and accountable to execute to that plan.”