By Claudia Wayne, FirstNet Senior Advisor

The Nebraska Initial Consultation brought a total of 117 public safety stakeholders to Kearney for the two-day event. Nebraska State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) Manager Bob Wilhelm welcomed the group and provided some important examples of how broadband technology can enhance public safety in Nebraska. He discussed several events, including the College World Series, held each year at the TD Ameritrade stadium in Omaha. This event creates a tremendous drain on existing broadband networks as tens of thousands of people simultaneously make calls, send social media messages, and text data files.

Bob introduced Nebraska’s Chief Information Officer and State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) Brenda Decker, who spoke about the state’s unique challenges in satisfying data and cell needs for public safety. She said that having a dedicated network that would give first responders priority and dedicated service would be a true benefit for Nebraskans.

Lt. Gov. Mike Foley also welcomed participants, citing great interest in taking the necessary steps to provide the best possible tools for first responders. He said he was looking forward to hearing about FirstNet’s progress and how public safety will benefit from the network’s implementation.

I emphasized that the meeting was an opportunity to truly have a two-way dialogue with Nebraska. FirstNet learned a lot about Nebraska, including its unique challenges and needs in both rural and urban areas. Doug Harder from the FirstNet State Plans team discussed the importance of identifying potential users of the FirstNet network and coverage objectives in Nebraska, emphasizing how critical it is for those across the state to participate in the consultation process. The more FirstNet knows about what the state needs in terms of coverage and priorities, the better able it will be to design the best possible system.

Buffalo County Sheriff Neil Miller took the stage near the end of the first day’s presentations to deliver an excellent, practical overview of how his department uses broadband technology and shares data. Sheriff Miller explained that they have been using mobile data since 1997, which has been instrumental in increasing officers’ situational awareness and ability to access critical information. He demonstrated his department’s use of tablets, where an officer can record a report directly into the device and email a data file to the law enforcement center, where a clerk then transcribes it, saving time for the officer to get back to his other duties.

Sheriff Miller noted an event called Cruise Night, a yearly event that brings hundreds of people to Kearney for an antique cars display. In his experience, deploying mobile antennas have been critical in connecting officers for public safety during the event. When hundreds of people attend the event, the network gets jammed as they all take photos and send them over the network to others, which creates an incredible demand on the network. Having more capacity, he said, would truly allow police officers and others to stay connected.

There was also mention during the meeting of the many missile silos and ethanol plants housed in Nebraska. One official said that activity around them presents potential hazards and a dire need for effective communications.

I would like to thank all those who attended the meeting, and especially SPOC Brenda Decker and Bob Wilhelm for arranging an engaging and collaborative session. We look forward to continuing to work with Nebraska.

-Claudia