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Council hears FirstNet briefing and considers city-issued FirstNet phones
Summary
Staff described FirstNet's priority/preemption, deployable assets used in past emergencies and proposed city-issued FirstNet phones to ensure continuity during disasters; council discussed costs and potential phased rollout.
Council members and staff discussed options to strengthen emergency communications, including purchasing city-issued FirstNet phones and leveraging deployable FirstNet assets such as portable cell towers and drone-based solutions.
A presenter explained that "the big thing with FirstNet is the priority and preemption," meaning public-safety traffic is prioritized on the network and can avoid congestion during large-scale events. The presenter described band 14 as a dedicated spectrum and highlighted deployable assets that were used during past hurricanes and a fiber cut, noting rapid deployments staged in nearby regional locations.
Council considered whether to adopt city phones on FirstNet, the potential $50 monthly cost mentioned for some plans, and the advantage of separating personal and municipal communications for public-records management. No formal procurement was approved at the meeting; council members indicated they were interested and asked staff to follow up with cost proposals and rollout options for possible implementation in the coming year.
