A poll of state CIOs by their national association found that the development of models and organization around the First Responders Network Authority was relatively mature and education efforts are ongoing.
A new report by the National Association of State CIOs (NASCIO), based on the polling data from earlier this year, called the task to build a nationwide LTE network for public safety users “a herculean undertaking for all levels of government” and “perhaps the largest national infrastructure project since the interstate highway system.
“Perhaps equally daunting, our nation must identify a sustainable business and financial plan for the network that can be agreed upon by FirstNet and stakeholders at the state and local level,” NASCIO concluded.
FirstNet, though still early in its overall development, continues to be among the top priorities for state CIOs. NASCIO listed it as No. 9 out of the top 10 priorities this year among state CIOs.
The 2014 NASCIO survey on FirstNet found that among the 44 states and territories that responded, more than 70% fell into two categories: that they had developed a governance model and the means to support FirstNet planning and outreach; or that they had organized their activities with other key stakeholders within the state and potentially with other states.
About 16% reported that they had already collected baseline data that will be an important part of each state’s plan, and that has been intended to take place during a second round of State and Local Goverment Implementation Grant Programs (SLIGP), which has neither been outlined or awarded.
“We were surprised to find that a significant number of respondents stated they have already collected the necessary data on operations, assets and user baselines necessary for their state’s plan,” NASCIO noted, adding that some respondents indicated that some states collect such data on an ongoing basis for other purposes, or identified such sources as a part of their planning process.
In fact, more than 50% of states said they were already collecting data that they expected to use in FirstNet planning. NASCIO noted that Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin (which are all part of the same Federal Emergency Management Agency region) have been working to collect common data for potential regional collaboration.
However, when asked if their states was actively conducting FirstNet outreach and education activities, only 75% of respondents answered “yes.” About 23% said they were not, and another 2% weren’t sure. States not conducting such activities said they were waiting on funds, planning, materials or additional collaboration from FirstNet before proceeding or continuing outreach.
That statistic conflicted with the fact that more than 80% of respondents said they were either developing or disseminating materials for FirstNet outreach, and another 78% who said they were having meetings with stakeholders groups in their state.
“This dichotomy, along with some feedback from respondents, leads us to presume that a number of states are developing materials or providing ad-hoc education without ongoing formal outreach activities,” NASCIO said.
Other findings from the 2014 survey included:
- States are often using two or three approaches to staffing for FirstNet-related activities. About 84% of respondents said that existing staff were being used to some degree to support FirstNet activities. More than 30% said additional staff had also been hired and 50% said they were also contracting with the private sector for FirstNet work.
- First points of contact for FirstNet vary substantially across states – a crucial consideration in FirstNet’s ongoing outreach program as well as coordinating and informing states about the development plans for the network. While 38% of the states have the CIO’s office as the first point of contact, 30% have that point of contact through law enforcement or the state department of public safety, and another 14% through Emergency Management, with another 9% putting contact into the hands of the state’s Department of Homeland Security.
Looking for more on FirstNet? View RCR videos from the FirstNet Summit at CCA Global Expo 2013 here.
