06/18/15
Broadband for First Responders
On Tuesday, June 16, the broadband needs of Ohio’s first responders took national center stage when Ohio Chief Information Officer, Stu Davis, testified to the Energy & Commerce Committee at the U.S. House of Representatives on progress toward a nationwide public safety broadband network.
This is a very personal interest for me because, as I mentioned in my introductory blog, my husband is a firefighter for the Columbus Fire Department (CFD) – included is a photo from the day he graduated the Columbus Fire Academy. As any family member of a first responder will attest, safety is of top concern.
The United States First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) is an independent authority within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to provide emergency responders with the first nationwide, high-speed, broadband network dedicated to public safety. The creation of this Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) was a recommendation that resulted from the tragic attacks on September 11, 2001 and is intended to provide a secure, reliable, and dedicated network for emergency responders to communicate during an emergency.
Davis’ testimony focuses on three major points regarding FirstNet: (1) outreach, (2) the business model, and (3) state collaboration. While expressing overall state support for FirstNet and the concept of a Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network, Davis highlights ongoing concerns, among others, regarding coverage in rural and remote areas of Ohio and advocates for a coverage plan and schedule to address these locations.
Connect Ohio will continue to monitor the progress of FirstNet in Ohio. Recently, we discovered that Connect Ohio is mentioned in a video on the Ohio FirstNet site entitled, “What is Broadband.” At 1:51, Connect Ohio is highlighted as a nonprofit organization dedicated to improving broadband Internet access to communities across Ohio. For more on the basics of broadband, please see our earlier blog. For ongoing updates, subscribe to our blog feed via our website: http://connectohio.org/blog.