FirstNet Finishing Up Active First Year

FirstNet crawled toward its goal of developing a nationwide public safety broadband network at the start of the year, spending its first few months naming board members and conducting business operations. But by spring, the entity ramped up with a flurry of activity, setting the stage for what looks like a whirlwind 2014.

Starting in May, FirstNet conducted six regional consultation workshops where representatives met with state and local government agencies about their existing public safety communication projects. In addition, FirstNet has issued RFIs for broadband technology, created a regional operational model aligned with the 10 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regions and approved a $194 million budget for 2014. According to TJ Kennedy, deputy general manager of FirstNet, the moves were made to better support outreach activities in 2014, including state consultation meetings.