Sharp criticism has been leveled against the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) after it was revealed the group is working on a proposal to auction off 700 MHz spectrum allocated to public safety, with 50% of the proceeds given to a public safety trust. Public safety would receive discounted rates and priority access on any commericial network built using the spectrum. NENA executive director Brian Fontes told Telecom Regulation Daily (TRD) that the proposal is being considered by the association’s policy review groups, and could be submitted to the FCC in the next two weeks. The proposal would also create on-going revenue for public safety communications by taxing products that access the nation’s 911 systems, or implementing some other fee structure. Fontes said the proposal is intended to “create debate,” and its provisions could change over time. The media report immediately sparked a response from the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), which said it does not support the unreleased proposal. APCO president Chris Fischer said that public safety has “fought long and hard” for dedicated spectrum, and that it would be a “huge” mistake to give up the allocation.
The unreleased NENA proposal also generated some pointed criticism from New York City police Dep. chief Charles Dowd, who commands the comm center. He tweaked NENA, tellling TRD that, “NENA is an organization which was largely created to address issues on the 911 side of Public Safety.” He said their solution, “is evidence of an apparent lack of experience and understanding in First Responder communications.” He called the plan, “more of the same catering to commercial interests that created the original D- Block disaster.” He was referring to last year’s failed FCC auction of spectrum, intended to create a national, commercially-operated public safety wireless network.
Dowd continued to emphasize NENA’s lack of wireless communications experience, saying, “If NENA would listen to experts working in Public Safety wireless communications they would understand the unique needs of First Responders and how broadband technology is transforming Public Safety Agencies.”
APCO statement:
The Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International today responded to a proposal from the National Emergency Number Association (NENA) regarding public safety broadband communications. NENA’s plan is to auction both the 700-MHz band D-block and adjacent 10 MHz of public-safety spectrum for commercial use.
“APCO International cannot support NENA’s proposal, as it gives back scarce public safety spectrum and undermines progress made during recent meetings among major public safety organizations to further address matters related to the development of a nationwide interoperable broadband network,” APCO International President Chris Fischer said. “APCO International understands NENA’s perspective on this issue as it relates to how a national broadband network may eventually be used for 9-1-1 networks. However, we are concerned that their proposal does not provide for the controls needed by public safety to ensure a nationwide deployment and network reliability.”
APCO International has supported a number of possible solutions for the deployment of a nationwide network that is viable not only for the major cities, but also the most rural parts of America.
“This proposal is contrary to APCO International’s position and that of many other public safety organizations,” Fischer said. “Public safety fought long and hard for clear, dedicated spectrum and it would be a huge mistake to give that up in exchange for discounted service from a commercial provider that will not meet mission-critical communications requirements. While new ideas are always welcome, we hope that our friends and colleagues at NENA will reconsider their proposal. APCO International recognizes that while we generally concur broadly with our partner organizations on issues of mutual interest, there are times when associations that collaborate consistently will have differing positions, as is the case with NENA’s position on auctioning the aforementioned public-safety spectrum for commercial use.”
Response from NENA CEO Brian Fontes on the reaction to the association’s proposal:
This is a complicated issue that has plagued policymakers for years, so while a response to (APCO’s reaction) is warranted, it is much too complex of an issue to fully vette in this forum. With that in mind, it is important to note that NENA has not yet proposed anything to the FCC. At this point, as we are internally deliberating on the subject, reactions appear to be a bit premature.
The bottom line is that NENA is interested in ensuring that a public safety wireless broadband network is built nationwide, that public safety agencies have priority access to that network at reduced rates, that a recurring revenue source is available to pay for public safety access to and use of that network and that public safety is able to benefit from the substantial research and development of the commercial wireless industry. NENA is not sure how all of those objectives can be met for ALL public safety agencies (not just those with the means and capability to build their own networks) under existing proposals. Therefore, per FCC interest in collecting ideas for the 700 MHz D Block D, NENA will be recommending a potential solution that we believe is more likely to achieve the above goals than existing proposals. It is simply an idea meant to stimulate discussion on the best solution for public safety. It also requires outside of the box thinking in which having more spectrum for public safety is not always the answer to the end goal.
To reiterate, NENA’s goal is to ensure that public safety will have access to a nationwide wireless broadband network in the 700 MHz band. This may mean thinking outside the box and recognizing that getting a network built with a commercial partner, based on a common standard, is more pragmatic than the idea of public safety having its own spectrum for this purpose. To date, it does not appear that any other publically presented proposals provide for a nationwide wireless broadband network available for public safety use. While some cities have presented proposals to the FCC to utilize the public safety 10 MHz broadband block in the 700 MHz band, combined with adjacent commercial spectrum (D Block), for their own unique needs–none of these proposals offer a nationwide broadband solution with a recurring funding source.
NENA’s position is to ensure that all public safety has access to 21st century wireless broadband networks and technologies. We encourage all interested stakeholders to reserve judgment on our suggested approach until it has been presented, at which time we hope to have a spirited debate on the topic. Thank you.
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