At its February 12th Board meeting, the First Responder Network Authority made clear its intention to allow seven regional wireless connectivity projects ? including the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) and the San Francisco Bay Area Wireless Enhanced Broadband (BayWEB) System projects ? to move forward as test sites for the 700 MHz public safety Long Term Evolution (LTE) networks. The FirstNet Board authorized board member Sue Swenson, the leader of its BTOP working group, to negotiate spectrum lease agreements in the next 90 days with seven BTOP public safety grant recipients to use the 700 MHz public safety broadband spectrum. If approved by the Board, these agreements would enable these grantees to lease access to FirstNet?s spectrum and provide the basis for the suspension of the BTOP funds to be lifted.
The California LA-RICS and BayWEB projects will allow police, fire and other emergency services agencies across their respective areas to access urgent data, and collaborate in real-time via voice and video on a dedicated, fast and reliable broadband mission critical network.
As background, in 2010, the Department of Commerce?s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) gave grants to seven public safety projects through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP), as authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA). California received two of these federal stimulus grants, for the greater Los Angeles area and the San Francisco Bay Area. Other NTIA BTOP grants went to public safety projects in Adams County, Colorado, Charlotte, North Carolina, the State of Mississippi, northern New Jersey, and Albuquerque-Santa Fe, New Mexico.
In February 2012, Congress enacted and the President signed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (the Act) which mandates the creation of a nationwide, interoperable wireless broadband network. The Act created the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), an independent authority within NTIA. FirstNet is to build, deploy and operate a single, nationwide interoperable public safety long-term evolution (LTE) mobile broadband network. The Act allotted more than $7 billion in federal grants to develop the network, as well as $135 million for a new State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) administered by NTIA to support State, regional, tribal and local jurisdictions efforts to plan and work with FirstNet.
In May 2012, NTIA partially suspended the BTOP-funded public safety projects, due to uncertainty whether the grant recipients would be able to comply with the terms and conditions of their grants, and with the goal of ensuring that these projects proceeded in a manner consistent with the FirstNet nationwide project. In November, 2012, the FCC granted FirstNet the license to use the 700 MHz public safety broadband spectrum.
After site visits by some of the FirstNet Board and evaluations of each project, the Board found that these BTOP grantees did wish to be a part of the national interoperable public safety broadband system, and wanted the suspensions lifted. Some FirstNet board members reported that many benefits would result from having these seven projects go live early, including testing architectural standards and gathering other data before the main network went up.
In a written statement, NTIA Assistant Secretary Larry Strickling emphasized that the resolution charts a path to allow the resumption of the projects in accordance with two conditions set out by NTIA when there was a partial suspension of the projects last year: (1) The grant money will remain in the communities that received the grants; and (2) The grant dollars will be spent on facilities and equipment that can be incorporated into FirstNet?s national network, or that will yield valuable data and information to guide FirstNet.?
BayRICS General Manager Barry Fraser praised FirstNet for the decision, commenting in a written statement, ?I?ve been impressed with FirstNet?s willingness to quickly review these projects and reach a decision. While there are still many details to work out, we are eager to hit the ground running on the spectrum lease and to continue this project that will meet the critical needs of Bay Area Public Safety and the communities they serve.?
In related news as to the SLIGP state planning grants to be given by NTIA, on February 6, 2013, NTIA released ground rules for the initial wave of SLIGP planning funding. California will receive $5.8 million based on a formula that took into account population and land mass. The recipients of the SLIGP grants must contribute at least 20% of the planning funding. Applications are due to NTIA from the states and territories by March 19, 2013, with grants expected by July 15, 2013.
About Rachelle Chong
Rachelle Chong is a nationally known expert on telecommunications, broadband, wireless communications, cable, digital literacy, public safety communications, renewable energy and smart grid policy. She is a former Commissioner of the Federal Communications Commission (Clinton appointee) and the California Public Utilities Commission (Schwarzenegger appointee). Prior to that, she has been Vice President, Government Affairs for Comcast California Region, Special Counsel for the CA Technology Agency, a partner at two international law firms (Graham & James and Coudert Brothers), and an entrepreneur. Rachelle is delighted to brush off her Journalism degree from Cal Berkeley, and serve as a columnist for Techwire, focusing on federal policies and the San Francisco and Silicon Valley tech/telecom beats.msnbc meteor shower 121212 Concert Columbine shooting News Ryan Lanza Facebook usa today
No comments:
Post a Comment
Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.