2027 Agenda

Fire codes require in-building coverage for "all radio frequencies in use by public safety agencies." Increasingly, that includes FirstNet Band 14 broadband. The FirstNet Authority's Roadmap ranks access to broadband indoors, regardless of building materials, among first responders' top three priorities. Multi-technology handsets combining LMR, LTE, and Wi-Fi are already in responders' hands. Jurisdictions are starting to act, and they are taking different paths.

This panel brings together the fire service, the FirstNet Authority, and the voluntary deployment model. Clark County, Nevada, shaped by the Route 91 tragedy, requires both ERCES and Wi-Fi or LTE capability in tunnels and is extending that multi-technology model to high-rise hospitality and residential buildings. Collier County, Florida, now measures LTE from all three carriers during initial coverage testing and allows the jurisdiction to accept LTE-based solutions in lieu of an ERCES. Fairfax County Public Schools shows what a voluntary program looks like at scale, with 125 schools upgraded for stronger in-building FirstNet coverage.

Panelists will address the practical questions jurisdictions are asking now about Band 14 testing criteria and performance thresholds, the rebroadcast authorization process, designing broadband alongside traditional ERCES, and the survivability gap between LMR standards and FirstNet equipment. Attendees will leave knowing what to consider before writing broadband coverage into local requirements.