Gifts of clarity would be huge for critical communications in 2015

It’s the time of year when people are thinking about appropriate gifts for those they care about most. In the spirit of the season, I’ve been considering what gifts would be most helpful for those in the critical-communications arena, a sector where both the possibilities and the challenges seem endless.

Obviously, every part of the sector would like a large amount of cash to spend on pet projects. With the ongoing AWS-3 spectrum auction putting about $30 billion more than expected into the U.S. Treasury, critical-communications representatives should pursue federal funding that would help support key initiatives, such as public-safety broadband, telemedicine and smart-grid deployments.

Money aside, most of the best gifts that could be provided to the critical-communications sector involve clarity. Overall, this industry is remarkable in its ability to figure out ways to get things done in even the most trying circumstances, when it knows the environment and the rules by which the game is played. What makes the current era so challenging is that there is so much uncertainty surrounding the promise of potentially beneficial technological changes.

Given this, here are some items that could be part of a wish list for 2015 for users, vendors and the entities making buying decisions:

A cybersecurity approach that works—This is a gift that is needed by all players in the sector. Generally speaking, cloud-based technologies provide a host of operational and economical advantages. But the number of high-profile hacks into the systems of governments and deep-pocketed enterprises—entities with the kind of resources to afford strong cybersecurity solutions—during the past year has been alarming. Developing practical methods to ensure secure access to critical information is key, particularly with public safety planning to leverage all kinds of sensitive databases via next-generation 911 and FirstNet.

Public-safety communications in the field—Clarity regarding FirstNet is crucial. The promise of a dedicated broadband network for first responders is tremendous, but there are so many unknowns regarding the massive project that is difficult for public-safety entities to plan for the future. Hopefully, the scheduled draft RFP in March, a final RFP, and some fundamental policy decisions (for example, who can use the network) by the FirstNet board regarding network design and the business model can address these concerns next year.

Of course, solid information about mission-critical voice over broadband—when will it happen, if at all—would be very helpful in allowing first-responder entities to make long-term plans.

In addition, clarity regarding how migration from the T-Band spectrum should happen is needed ASAP (and business-industrial users of these airwaves have an even more urgent need for answers). Broader rules regarding indoor coverage requirements on behalf of public safety also would be extremely helpful on several levels.