Will FirstNet ever be Fielded?

I'm at the Washington State Emergency Management Association Conference being held in Spokane, Wa., Truth in blogging, I'm here representing the Washington State OneNet office and the the planned fielding of FirstNet here in this state.

I've heard from a couple of emergency managers a few comments that I'd like to respond to:

• FirstNet will never be fielded: This is a $8 billion investment by our federal government. There are regular briefings to Congress (when they are in session). FirstNet will be fielded--eventually. Today I'm guessing it will become available in 2018, but you never know, it could be available the end of 2017. But, everything these days seems to have slippage in the timeline.
• FirstNet is another unfunded federal mandate: The answer to this is -- no, there is no mandate. Every jurisdiction or agency will have to make its own decision on if it wants to switch from their existing wireless carrier to FirstNet. If you don't like the pricing or don't trust the service, don't switch. It will be your choice and there is no way the Feds can make you switch.

Then there is this white paper on FirstNet from a vendor, Lessons Learned from Global Attacks: How FirstNet Can Better Prepare the U.S. for Crisis Response

Stay tuned for more updates on FirstNet as moves forward in the United States.