Broadband for Rural Public Safety

Researchers from Pennsylvania State University recently published an excellent report, Beyond Connectivity Among Rural First Responders in Pennsylvania. The report is based on the findings from focus groups and interviews with law enforcement officers, firefighters, EMTs, 911 center representatives, local officials, and other key stakeholders. The in-depth discussions identified multiple problems that hinder public safety work in rural areas:

• The lack of rural cellular coverage means there are rural dead zones where first responders and the public can’t reliably communicate with each other. The report cites examples where first responders sometimes have to go door-to-door looking for somebody with a landline in order to communicate locally—which will be an increasing problem as copper networks are being torn down.
• Many jurisdictions have public safety radio networks for first responders to communicate with their home hub. First responders in Pennsylvania complained that there is a major inconsistency between the types of networks being deployed, and that they often find themselves working in an area that uses different radios and frequencies than the radios they are equipped with. 
• There were complaints about the astronomical cost of devices. Both cellphones and public safety radios have gotten increasingly expensive. In rural areas, first responders might have to carry multiple cellphones to connect to different carriers.
• There is an overall perception among first responders that they are underfunded and don’t have the resources needed to do a good job in rural areas.