Guest Blog Post by Teri Takai, FirstNet Board Member

It’s been said that “you can’t go home again.” But that wasn’t the case at the 2014 National Association of State Chief Information Officers’ (NASCIO) annual “Fly-In” meeting this week in Washington, DC. As the past president of NASCIO and the former CIO of Michigan and California, I felt right at home discussing key policy and planning issues impacting state government technology programs – including FirstNet. As a member of the FirstNet Board, I enjoyed hearing NASCIO members’ plans, viewpoints, and questions about the deployment of a public safety broadband network in their states and territories.

I have spent much of my career focused on making the most effective and efficient use of technology to benefit the American people, our economy, and our nation’s security. This includes my positions in the states and at the Department of Defense (DoD), where I recently moved on after serving as the CIO for more than three years. Given my experience working with state and federal technology programs, I understand and share their perspectives on what we want FirstNet to deliver for the state governors. Officials at all levels of government must consider a host of policy, budgetary, and technology issues in the planning and deployment of a public safety broadband network.

Coordination and planning were the primary topics of my presentation at the NASCIO Fly-In meeting. I emphasized the need for statewide collaboration among communications and IT officials early in the FirstNet planning process. I said it was critical to get the right people at the table during the development of the state plan so that it addresses all of the key issues, such as coverage and users. I also advised the states not to rush the development of their plans; FirstNet realizes that every state is at a different stage of understanding the key issues that will go into building the network and has an experienced team to help them with difficult planning decisions.

I also walked through the major steps in FirstNet’s consultation process with the states and territories. I emphasized that consultation will be an iterative and collaborative process, and explained the role of the states’ Single Points of Contact (SPOCs) in the consultation and planning process. To that end, I encouraged NASCIO members to work with their SPOCs, if they have not done so already, to ensure they are participating in consultation and planning.

In addition to state and territory issues, I talked about the partnership that FirstNet had formed with the federal Emergency Communications Preparedness Center (ECPC) to coordinate federal broadband activities for FirstNet, such as coverage requirements and infrastructure sharing. During my DOD tenure, I worked through the ECPC to increase coordination between FirstNet and federal agencies with emergency communication initiatives. Going forward, the ECPC will be a key focal point for addressing and coordinating federal initiatives for the network.

In conclusion, I would like to thank my friends at NASCIO for inviting me to the 2014 Fly-in event. I look forward to continue working with the association and its members to ensure their expertise is incorporated into the planning and deployment of a nationwide public safety broadband network.

-Teri