By Jeremy Zollo, FirstNet Director of State and Local Outreach
The Wyoming Initial Consultation meeting – FirstNet’s 15th such meeting with individual states and territories – began early in the morning of February 25th at the Wyoming Joint Forces Readiness Center Headquarters in Cheyenne. State Single Point of Contact (SPOC) Troy Babbitt kicked off the meeting by welcoming the nearly 30 representatives from public safety, state government, and the private sector in attendance, and expressing an interest in forming a partnership with FirstNet. “I think you can see from the support here that Wyoming is ready for FirstNet,” he said.
FirstNet employees joining me at the meeting were Doug Harder, who works with the states in developing individual network plans, and members of the FirstNet technical team based in Boulder, Colorado. We presented on FirstNet’s guiding principles and provided an overview of the organization’s mission.
I also described the progress we have made consulting with states and territories on planning for the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN) and our plans to issue a draft Request for Proposals (RFP). I explained how the RFP process would help FirstNet understand design concepts for the network and identify a network partner or partners to build the system at FirstNet’s specifications. Further, the information we are gathering from the 56 states and territories through our consultation efforts will be valuable input for the process.
In terms of key takeaways from the Wyoming consultation meeting, the FirstNet team learned more about how the State’s population base presents unique challenges in terms of coverage. It was also interesting to hear about the State’s interoperability program Wyolink, which connects first responders’ land mobile radios through a statewide VHF P-25 compliant system, and the state’s wide-ranging fiber network.
There was great dialogue with a number of state and local officials that touched on the potential benefits of having a broadband network for first responders in Wyoming. Participants pointed to numerous college sporting events, Frontier Days, and other large events and activities that frequently generate high demand for network services. Officials also discussed the benefits of having access to data exchange and databases containing essential information for entities that provide public safety services.
On behalf of the FirstNet User Advocacy Team, I would like to thank Troy and the Statewide Interoperability Coordinator Bob Symons for their help in organizing this productive meeting. We look forward to building on this relationship and work toward a network solution that will truly benefit first responders and those who need their services in Wyoming.
-Jeremy
