By Ed Parkinson, FirstNet Director of Government Affairs

Today I had the opportunity to speak at the Industry Council for Emergency Response Technologies (iCERT)-NG911 Institute Capitol Hill Technology Showcase. The event brought together industry experts and government leaders in emergency communications.

I enjoyed the opportunity to highlight a number of recent developments at FirstNet – including our recent move to our headquarters in Reston, VA, the appointment of Sue Swenson to the position of Chairwoman of the board, the developments in state consultation, and progress with outreach efforts. Great strides have been made but a lot of work remains, especially with regard to our goal of releasing a draft comprehensive network solution RFP later this year.

The topic of 911 is an issue that I’ve been involved with for the better part of a decade. It was clear to me when I began working with the 911 community that it's one that's dedicated and passionate about its mission and in helping others.

At FirstNet, we are excited to work with the 911 community. As we started staffing up the organization, we quickly saw the need for a 911 subject matter expert on staff. This position recently closed on the USA jobs website, and we are looking forward to having someone on board soon who can help us deepen our relationship with the 911 community. We envision that the 911 subject matter expert will drive the planning and coordination between the 911 community and FirstNet, which is absolutely vital. While Next Generation 911 (NG911) and the nationwide public safety broadband network will be separate tools for communicating during emergencies, it’s important that we coordinate our efforts now and work towards some form of integration. The fact remains that if NG911 develops without FirstNet, then both will fail.

Also representing their agencies at the event were Rear Admiral (ret.) David Simpson, who is Chief of the Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), Antwane Johnson, the Director of FEMA's IPAWS System and Steve Souder, Director of the Fairfax Co. 9-1-1 Center. It was very good to see the Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Emergency Communications (DHS OEC) Ron Hewitt in attendance, as well as a variety of public safety and industry figures.

I would like to thank iCERT for the opportunity to speak at today’s event and especially to George Rice, iCERT’s Executive Director, and the NG911 Institute’s Executive Director Kim Scovill. FirstNet is excited to be a part of these discussions as it’s important that we consider and incorporate the most innovative technologies from the commercial sector, along with insights from public safety and users of emergency communications every day. As Admiral Simpson said during his presentation today, none of it will matter if we don’t get this right and there is no network to bring it all together.

Also, if you are interested in joining the FirstNet team, please be sure to visit FirstNet’s jobs page and the FirstNet LinkedIn page. We are about to post position descriptions for a number of openings at FirstNet, including Government Affairs. Come and be part of a great team of people working on one of the most rewarding and important missions. You can also follow me on Twitter at @Ed_FNgovaffairs.

Thanks
-Ed