FirstNet Making Progress, But Rivada Challenge Puts Key Decision on Hold, Officials Say
The government will have to hold off awarding a contract to build FirstNet’s network until a Rivada Mercury protest is resolved by the U.S. Court of Federal Claims, Jason Karp, the authority’s chief counsel, said at the close of a board meeting Wednesday. The board met for more than two hours in Sacramento to hear a series of updates. Officials emphasized that work on the network is moving forward despite the legal questions. The meeting was scheduled to be the board’s last before the Trump administration takes office in January.
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“We remain in the middle of an active protest litigation,” Karp said. “That creates limitations. … We cannot discuss any source selection information and we cannot talk about details of the litigation.” DOJ is handling the court case and all questions should be referred there, Karp said. Rivada told the court it was a “strong, viable competitor” for the contract and asked the court to enjoin the Department of Interior from making an award on FirstNet’s behalf until its proposal was given due consideration (see 1612020032).
“We will continue on all aspects of the procurement during this time short of making the award,” said FirstNet CEO Mike Poth. “One of the top priorities has been the procurement, but that doesn't define FirstNet.” The team “is in place and everything is ready to move forward,” Poth said. “It will be full speed ahead at FirstNet. We’re not going to wait. We have a sense of urgency.” The team also is acting with fiscal responsibility, he said. “They treat every dollar as if it’s coming out of their own wallet or purse."
The authority also will continue to listen to public safety representatives, Poth said. “We’re never going to be content,” he said. “We’re never going to stop listening. That’s why we’re here.” Whether it’s a sheriff in Ohio or a firefighter in California, “they are all counting on us to pull this off,” he said. “We are ready.”
Mark Ghilarducci, director of the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services, told the board there are still many questions in the states. “Public safety people” want two main things, he said. “We like simplicity. We like reliability. That’s pretty much it. We want to know that when we need [the network], it’s there.” There are many “unknowns” about “what FirstNet is and isn’t,” Ghilarducci said.
Public safety officials recognize that their entire communications system is built around land-mobile radio, Ghilarducci said. He ticked off areas of concern in California. Among them is how rules will work that allow commercial interests to use the FirstNet spectrum and how pre-emption will be handled, he said. “Is it the locals that pre-empt or is someone behind the curtain pulling the levers?” he asked. Another big question is how the system will tie into the state’s push on next-generation 911, he said.
The Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS), an early broadband network for first responders, is located in a key population center, Ghilarducci said. “We haven’t gotten a clear signal about how FirstNet and LA-RICS will work together, but there’s been a lot of investment of time and money into getting that done."
Chief Customer Officer Richard Reed said the national network is doing lots of outreach to public safety and the state and local governments and that will continue. In 2016, FirstNet held 600 “engagements” with public safety officials. “That equates to 75,000 public safety personnel,” said Reed. “We have websites. We have Twitter accounts, Facebook accounts. We’re making movies. We’re doing everything we can to get the message out and make sure people have the proper perspective.”
Chairwoman Sue Swenson said staff is doing a good job, but she still hears from public safety officials who want more information. “The frustration I hear is that there are some things we don't know yet,” she said. “There are some things we can't answer. From my understanding, we just say, ‘We can’t answer that and here’s why we can’t.'” Some information won’t be clear until FirstNet makes its award to build the network, Swenson said.
“We have a lot more perspective than we had two years ago,” Reed responded. “There are things that we’re not going to have in terms of data until we make the award.” Two of the biggest questions from states -- the costs and the deployment schedule -- won’t be clear until a coalition is picked to build the network, he said. The board is next slated to meet March 14 and 15. Committee meetings also occurred Tuesday in Sacramento (see 1612130061).