Texas County Working to Be First in Nation With Public-Safety Broadband Network

Someday in the not-too-distant future, first responders may be able to livestream video, vital signs and EKG results while en route with a patient to the Ben Taub emergency room. Doctors then may transmit back life-saving treatment protocols to the medical technicians inside the ambulance. That is, if the paramedics can get a signal.

 

 

Telecommunications advances have minimal value for emergency personnel if they can't connect to cellular towers. But there soon may be a reliable alternative thanks to a project authorized by Congress in 2012.

 

Harris County is on track next year to become the nation's first jurisdiction to launch a fully operational wireless broadband network for exclusive public safety use through the First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet.

 

FirstNet grew out of the 9/11 Commission's finding that it was critical to improve, prioritize and expedite communication between overlapping agencies and local, state and federal jurisdictions. Specifically, the commission recommended that a portion of the Federal Communication Commission's radio spectrum be set aside for public safety purposes.

 

In other words, it was no longer prudent for government agencies to rely on commercial networks.