Verizon, AT&T Clash on Colorado Request for FCC Interoperability Review of FirstNet
Verizon supported the Colorado Public Safety Broadband Governing Body asking the FCC to adopt rules to ensure interoperability on the nationwide public safety broadband network (see 1807060034). But an AT&T spokeswoman responded Friday that the FCC "has already properly declined…
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to rule on this matter." In a Thursday ex-parte letter in docket 16-269, Verizon said, “Interoperability should be supported across the entire public safety ecosystem and should include interoperability for services, applications, and features (e.g., priority and preemption protocols) used by first responders.” But the AT&T spokeswoman replied that FirstNet is built on open industry standards that provide interoperability. "The legislation behind FirstNet calls for a single, nationwide broadband network that will drive interoperability for first responders across agencies and jurisdictions -- not replicate a patchwork of networks," she said. "This is what public safety urged Congress to create. But we know there are industry players working in the background to dismantle the vision of FirstNet for their own gain. And it’s our obligation to see to it that public safety wins." FirstNet is "focused on ensuring the delivery of the nationwide network that public safety asked for, as directed by Congress," a FirstNet spokesperson emailed.