Public Safety Broadband: We’ve Barely Glimpsed the Future
We’ve done some work in the public safety broadband space and I’ve talked with public safety leaders, technologists and others about what the future of a public safety broadband network might hold. Based on those conversations, I think we’ve really only scratched the surface of the possibilities. Right now we are focused on whether or how to build a network. What’s the best architecture? What’s the best governance model? How much spectrum does it need? etc. These are all essential questions to answer but I believe we’ve barely glimpsed the future of the capabilities that a public safety broadband network will create.
Much of what I’ve heard so far is based on what we see in the market now or transferring current capabilities to a more mobile environment. For instance, the network would allow police officers or fire fighters to send or receive video at higher data rates and from a hand held device rather than a laptop. These near-term capabilities are extremely important but it’s only really the beginning.
Building a public safety broadband network will spawn an entirely new industry and new ways of approaching public safety. We’ve seen broadband revolutionize other industries: music, television, education, and others. This network will create a dedicated market and a common platform for industry to focus its creative energies. Within a few short years, I believe the entire concept of operations for emergency response will be radically overhauled as a result.
Imagine a situation in which either already deployed or ad hoc cameras are deployed allowing police officers to see what awaits around the next corner; sensors on each responders body monitor vitals, detect unsafe levels of smoke or the presence of a toxin; doctors in an emergency room hospital could already be diagnosing conditions before patients arrive from a disaster site; and social media monitoring provides a crucial head start on an earthquake response.
Even these scenarios follow mostly from what we currently know. They also highlight the inevitability of new policy, privacy, and legal issues. The only certainty is that change will come and that it will come at an astounding pace. I’m going to be very interested to watch this market develop and see things no one is talking about now emerge and transform public safety.