Eyes on States After FirstNet Selects Federal Vendor
Focus is shifting to state plan decisions after FirstNet last week selected AT&T as the winner of its $6.5 billion contract for a national public safety network (see 1703300050). The announcement allows the public authority to start delivering state plans to governors, and AT&T and rival Rivada are making early pitches to states considering whether to opt out. With a federal vendor named, state officials are moving forward with consultations. One FirstNet state single point of contact (SPOC) remains concerned about funding for her office from NTIA’s State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP).
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
FirstNet expects to distribute draft state plans this summer and final plans in the fall, said an FAQ released Thursday. Once FirstNet delivers plans to states, governors will have 90 days to opt out, then 180 days to submit an alternative radio-access-network (RAN) plan for FCC approval, under the statute that created FirstNet. Seeking to keep options open, several states issued requests for information or proposals on alternatives (see 1703240035). New Hampshire last year contracted Rivada to develop an alternative RAN plan but it hasn't committed to the vendor. Arizona’s RFP response deadline was Thursday. In March, Michigan and Colorado released RFPs, and in February, Alabama got three responses. Florida, California and Illinois have collected responses to RFIs.
AT&T state presidents released statements targeting specific states as the carrier prepares to convince governors to take federal plans. "From the Loma Prieta Earthquake to the recent Butte Fire, it can be difficult for first responders to communicate and work together in an emergency,” said AT&T California President Ken McNeely in one such statement. In another, AT&T Colorado President Roberta Robinette talked up the company’s investment in Colorado and dedication to first responders. AT&T presidents in Alabama, Louisiana and Mississippi also released statements. Meanwhile, Rivada -- which lost its bid for the national contract and challenged the procurement process -- said Thursday it’s focused on developing alternative plans for states and territories.
For governors, picking AT&T seems like a “pretty straightforward choice,” Recon Analytics analyst Roger Entner said in an interview Friday. “If they want to choose an alternative company, they have to commit to that company for 25 years.” It’s much easier to commit to AT&T than another company that has less of a track record and didn’t win FirstNet’s favor, he said. That won’t stop Rivada from fighting for states’ business, he said. “Rivada has to go at it because they don't have a business without this.”
Washington looks forward to working with FirstNet and AT&T on developing the state plan, said SPOC Shelley Westall. While FirstNet’s announcement relieved the state’s funding concerns related to an extended delay, it “remains concerned about funding post SLIGP 1.0 as we believe the state program offices play a critical role in ensuring the successful deployment of the network,” Westall emailed. Washington’s SLIGP funding expires in February, she said. SLIGP funds FirstNet planning, consulting and outreach, but not the state networks themselves, and current SLIGP grants expire on a rolling basis between December and February. Last November, NTIA said it planned to award SLIGP 2.0 grants using unspent balances, subject to funding availability. In a presentation that month, the agency estimated 40 percent of total awarded amounts distributed in the first round, up to $47 million, might remain unspent.
The FirstNet announcement “does not alter Florida’s current course,” a Department of Management Services spokeswoman emailed: “Florida is in phase two out of three of collecting information from the public safety community regarding the FirstNet initiative. The announcement of the federal contract award will not impact the state’s efforts in gathering information from the public safety community.”
The National Association of State Chief Information Officers is glad to move forward with the public safety network, said NASCIO Government Affairs Director Yejin Cooke. State CIOs “anxiously await” the state plans, she emailed Friday. The National Association of State 911 Administrators called the FirstNet announcement historic. “While NASNA’s primary focus is on 911, it is our belief that neither NG911 nor FirstNet can achieve its full potential without the other,” NASNA Executive Director Evelyn Bailey said in a statement Thursday: The national public safety network and Next-Generation 911 “will give first responders the communications capabilities and information they need."