The federal government is
in the early stages of building a nationwide, hardened, wireless network
expressly for use of first responders in emergencies and disasters. According
to the ARRL Letter, the First
Responder Network (FirstNet) is being developed by an independent authority
within the U.S. Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and
Information Administration (NTIA), which parallels the FCC for federal
government spectrum users. The network will initially focus on providing data
and video, with "mission-critical voice communications" at least a
decade away.
According to Ralph
Haller, N4RH, chairman of the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council
(NPSTC) and former amateur radio chief at the FCC, the full implementation of
FirstNet "will likely be as significant as when public safety first began
using radio." He also predicted that it will diminish ham radio's role as
a backup for public safety systems because fewer of them will fail in
emergencies and disasters. However, Haller said there should be an ongoing role
for amateurs as "eyes and ears on the ground" during emergencies and
particularly during the recover phase of disasters. He advised amateur radio
emergency groups to speed up their adoption of digital modes and DATV (digital
amateur television) and to continue working closely with public safety
organizations. "Be sure," he said, that these organizations "never
forget how valuable the amateurs are!"
