The FCC released a report and order that establishes the standards and procedures it will use to review state alternative plans for states that want to opt out of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and build their own radio access network (RAN). The rules give states that opt out of the FirstNet state plan an extra 60 days to complete a request for proposals (RFP) process, providing for 240 days total.

With FirstNet releasing most of the state plans this week, state officials should take advantage of the full time allowed to review their plans in order to help make the most informed and best decision for their states.

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and AT&T released state plans to U.S. states and territories. The plans, delivered through online portals, provide most of the information such as coverage, cost and timelines that states need to make decisions about whether to opt into the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) or develop their own radio access network (RAN).

AT&T and First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) officials detailed aspects of the priority and pre-emption capabilities for the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) during a panel at the 2017 Public Safety Broadband Stakeholder Meeting.

Years of questions and anticipation about the next chapter of FirstNet are coming to a close as the nation’s SPOCs and their respective teams prepare for the next leg of the nationwide public-safety broadband network.

The National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) awarded $38.5 million to 33 research and development (R&D) projects aimed at advancing broadband communications technologies for first responders.

The fifth First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) in-person state single point of contact (SPOC) meeting — the first since FirstNet announced its industry partner AT&T at the end of March — wrapped up this week with FirstNet officials saying states can opt in as soon as they receive their first state plan and reassuring states that they will address state portal terms of use concerns.

The U.K. Emergency Services Network (ESN) staff continues to conduct tests and functional trials with commercial partners and has received final responses to a device procurement. The U.K. Home Office, which oversees the ESN, is working toward its pending transition from the narrowband TETRA Airwave network to EE’s Long Term Evolution (LTE) system.

Several state officials are concerned about the legal terms of use document the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) has requested they sign before they can access the draft state plans later this month. Washington state sent a letter to FirstNet outlining its concerns, including the short timeframe for review of the terms of use and requests in the document that conflict with state laws.

The first tests for mission-critical push to talk (MCPTT) interoperability will take place in a few weeks. From June 19 – 23, a plugtest offers vendors a unique opportunity to validate and test products with real implementations and debug prototypes, while contributing to the standards validation effort, said industry officials.