Public safety personnel who take calls from the public, dispatchers and others will have priority access to FirstNet, the nationwide public safety communications network. While AT&T officials have said they plan to give first responders from states that have opted into FirstNet “presumptive access” on their LTE networks by the end of the year, officials explained more about what that entails at the APCO 2017 show this week in Denver.
When FirstNet awarded AT&T the 25-year contract to build, maintain and operate the network, officials said that fire, EMS and law-enforcement personnel would be considered primary public-safety users. That means they get priority access now on AT&T’s commercial network, and then on FirstNet when that build is complete — and what’s being called “preemption capabilities” when that is enabled by year-end, Inside Towers reported.
However, some public safety officials lobbied to have 911 call center personnel, which officials call “Public Safety Answering Point” workers included in the priority list; they argued critical dispatch communications to field officers should not be blocked or degraded by commercial traffic congestion, reported IWCE’s Urgent Communications.
FirstNet senior 911 advisor Bill Hinkle clarified during a session, that 911 professionals are on “the list of people with first access.” FirstNet Director of State Consultation Dave Buchanan backed that up, saying through feedback after releasing state plans, FirstNet officials have heard that it should make call centers, PSAP’s and their employees “amongst those who have the priority and preemption in the top tier of eligible users.” He said during a Monday session: “We made that improvement to the state plan, and that will be part of the offering going forward,” reported IWCE’s Urgent Communications.
August 16, 2017
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