How DISA is helping to connect FirstNet

The officials behind FirstNet, the planned national public safety radio network, called on the Defense Information Systems Agency for help in crafting their contract proposal because of DISA's experience with complex IT contracts, said a top DISA official.

Lt. Gen. Alan Lynn, DISA director and commander of Joint Force Headquarters-Department of Defense Information Networks, said the first responders turned to DISA "because we have a good contracting arm for IT. We helped their team through what an initial contract should look like."

Lynn said there lessons for DOD to learn by working on shared-spectrum management issues with FirstNet. DISA will continue to help FirstNet with contracting and technical issues as needed, he added during a Nov. 10 event hosted by AFCEA DC.

"It's a great place for us to be because if we can get to better shared spectrum," DOD would benefit, Lynn said.

DOD has been moving some of its systems off specific spectrum to make way for commercial use, and Pentagon officials, including Lynn, are looking for better ways to share spectrum rather than lose a limited, valuable resource by handing it over to the private sector.

The FirstNet effort involves a careful orchestration of spectrum across the U.S. and other techniques that DOD could find valuable in managing its spectrum, including how to secure it.

FirstNet officials expect to release the final request for proposals for the public safety communications network in early 2016, although they have told Congress that they are still aiming for a release by the end of 2015.

"They've got a mandate to build out the next national network that's got to be secure," Lynn said. "We're ready to play in any areas they want us to help with."

The network has been designed to allow public safety personnel at the state, local, tribal and federal levels to communicate with one another and share data via dedicated mobile broadband spectrum. The effort was funded with $7 billion in proceeds from the recent and highly successful Advanced Wireless Service 3 spectrum auction conducted by the Federal Communications Commission. The goal is for FirstNet to use network fees and income generated from the lease of excess capacity to become self-sustaining.