FirstNet continues to fill out its ranks with new hires and grants to help shape the nationwide public safety network that it is in charge of planning, building and maintaining.
The board announced that it has hired TJ Kennedy as its deputy general manager, and Ed Parkinson as director of government affairs.
Kennedy comes to FirstNet from Raytheon Co., where he was director of public safety and security with responsibility for radio interoperability systems; he also has a background as a former Utah state trooper, firefighter and paramedic.
Parkinson spent six years as a staff member for the House Homeland Security Committee, working primarily on first responder telecom issues as well as cybersecurity, emergency preparedness, and investigations into government fraud and waste.
Meanwhile, board chairman Sam Ginn named board member Kevin McGinnis to head its outreach with Native American tribes, and McGinnis has begun meeting with tribal leaders, who hold more than 50 million acres of land that is usually in remote and rural areas.
“We are eager to listen to native communities about the wireless coverage and capacity they require for better public safety communications,” said McGinnis. “Tribal participation in this process is essential to our research and the eventual design of a network that delivers crucial services to diverse American Indian and Alaska Native populations.”
The National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA), the parent agency under which FirstNet operates, recently awarded $13.1 million to five states for planning purposes in preparation for FirstNet’s first responder network, as follows:
- Colorado — $2.5 million
- Connecticut — $1.4 million
- Delaware — $724,613
- New York — $4.86 million
- Ohio — $3.6 million
NTIA said other awards would be made on a rolling basis. The first phase of the State and Local Implementation Grant Program (SLIGP) grant-making is intended to focus on activities including “expanding existing governance bodies to consult with FirstNet, conducting education and outreach to relevant stakeholders, and identifying potential public safety users,” according to NTIA.
