Here are some notes about FirstNet that you may not have known before IWCE 2016

As usual, there was a lot of interesting stuff to learn at IWCE 2016, and much of it this year directly or indirectly involved FirstNet. With bids for the right to build and maintain the nationwide public-safety broadband network due on May 13, attendees may not have expected new FirstNet information to surface during the show.

Thankfully, the core aspects of the FirstNet value proposition—for instance, the 16 statement of objectives designed to meet public safety’s needs—have remained constant since long before the request-for-proposal (RFP) process formally began in January. But there were plenty of new nuggets of information shared during IWCE conference sessions by FirstNet officials and other stakeholders.

Here are a few examples:

There is still some confusion among stakeholders about some basic concepts in the FirstNet deal. FirstNet has done a tremendous amount of outreach about its mission and business plan, but FirstNet plans to do much more outreach during the coming year. That’s a good thing, because it is clear that much work remains to be done in this area.

For instance, some state officials continue to believe that the opt-out alternative means the state has a choice to not be covered by the FirstNet system. That is not the case. A state that opts out of FirstNet simply chooses to build the radio-access network (RAN) in its jurisdiction by itself, instead of having FirstNet build it for them.

In addition, there continue to be multiple conversations about FirstNet’s long-term financial viability. As the RFP is structured, a qualified bid should virtually ensure FirstNet’s financial viability. The RFP mandates that the contractor pay FirstNet annually for 25 years—not the other way around, as would be the case in most government procurements.

Of course, if FirstNet does not get a qualifying bid, then the viability issue will take center stage in what promises to be a very heated political debate that likely will be addressed within the next couple of years. But, if FirstNet gets a qualifying bid, its financial future should be secure.

State funding associated with FirstNet is becoming an issue. Each of the 56 states and territories has a single point of contact (SPOC) who has served as the point person to disseminate FirstNet information within the jurisdiction. To date, most SPOC salaries and state-outreach program have been funded by money from the federal State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP), not state funds.

Although the program has been extended until February 2018, no new money was added to SLIGP. Some states are worried whether they will have the funds to pay for all of their SPOC and all of outreach efforts that will be required as local public-safety entities decide whether to subscribe to FirstNet.

Rumblings about the SLIGP situation had been heard privately for months, but the matter was discussed publicly in several IWCE 2016 sessions.