* Do we need a nationwide network? If so, how do we get one?
In my discussions with various entities about a potential nationwide public safety network, there’s an implication that these are “early days” for public safety interoperability.
I find that curious because the public safety industry launched Project 25 (P25) with the intent to develop technical emergency response interoperability standards in 1989. Twenty-one years might be considered fleeting in the context of the entire Cenozoic era. But in a given industry or a human life, it’s a meaty chunk of time.
This issue and these projects drag on because we haven’t decided as a country whether we really need nationwide interoperability. In fact, some folks contend that, despite the FCC’s call for a nationwide first responder network in its national broadband plan, we don’t need one. One reason is that amateur “ham” radio operators are equipped to take over and communicate with one another in emergencies. Fair enough.
National broadband: Where does the spectrum come from?
And why does a fire department in Seattle need to communicate with a police department in Washington, D.C.? Another fair question. On any given day, it probably does’t.
So do we really need to nail up spectrum, a scarce national resource, to an emergency response application that may never get used on a national level?
Whether you need catastrophic health insurance is a similar consideration. You hope you don’t. But depending on who you are, you might buy it anyway just in case. Different people have different philosophies, and that’s where things tend to stall out.
So the first question to settle is what capability we need. Do we need for first responders in certain parts of the country to be able to contact others? That generally sounds like a good idea. As the world economy continues to globalize, conflict and disasters know no boundaries. Will mission-critical voice suffice?
If we do want such a network, how do we get one? Use the hams as the emergency network? Link cities, regions and states to national agencies using gateway equipment (available today)? Dedicate spectrum? Share spectrum between carriers and public safety? Federal auction? No auction?
All are viable options. Stay tuned for a couple opposing views on this next time.
