Sidebar: Cities Doubt Commercial Network
Aug 28, 2008,
Several cities have expressed skepticism about the viability of a commercial wireless network operator developing a nationwide network that would meet public safety needs.
Charles Dowd, deputy chief and commanding officer of the New York City Police Department (NYPD) wrote the FCC expressing NYPD's position that the network wouldn't meet public safety coverage and survivability standards.
"Although public safety and commercial networks may share technology, they do not share the same mission," Dowd wrote explaining NYPD's position. Dowd noted that the FCC did not require the D Block auction winner to build out a public safety band network in areas where there would not be a commercial system, making it unlikely that they would deploy their network in unprofitable rural or remote areas and that commercial network operators would be motivated by commercial interests, and conflicts of interest may arise.
San Francisco city officials expressed concern that a national licensee wouldn't focus on the needs of local agencies and that the network wouldn't be reliable because local agencies wouldn't have recourse if the network were abandoned because of a lack of profit. They said local and regional public safety agencies wouldn't use the system.
Philadelphia officials expressed similar concerns about local governments having a role in negotiating critical terms of the agreement to share the D Block network.
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