Opponents of the FCC’s proposed D Block auction have argued that public safety requirements cannot be met in a shared commercial network environment. They claim public safety will be unable to gain priority access above commercial users in times of emergency.

This is not the case.

Last week Roberson and Associates, LLC released a comprehensive study entitled, “Public Safety Priority Access to Shared Commercial Networks,” which demonstrates that no technical obstacles exist to public safety users having priority access to shared networks with commercial carriers.

The study found:

• LTE technology automatically prevents commercial users from blocking public safety users from the network during emergencies.
• Public safety can control its own traffic. The public safety LTE network permits prioritization of different types of public safety traffic as specified by first responders themselves.
• When the public safety network is congested, public safety users are automatically handed over to the commercial network, using the same priority levels established by first responders for the public safety network.

This shared model provides public safety with a faster and cheaper build-out of the network, higher overall network capacity, extended geographic coverage and economies of scale and scope for devices – a win for first responders AND the American public.

About Us – Connect Public Safety Now, of which RTG is a member, represents a broad-based group of stakeholders working to ensure the construction of a reliable and cost-effective interoperable network for our nation’s first responders and its citizens. Connect Public Safety Now is a call to the FCC, the White House and Congress to protect the public by building the broadband network that public safety needs – now. For more information about Connect Public Safety Now, please visit us at: www.connectpublicsafetynow.org