Serkit - you are misinformed.
FirstNet was REQUESTED by public safety, for throughput and inter-operability.
It was funded by the Feds (our taxes) after 9-11.
The States ALL had the option to build their own OR opt-in to FirstNet. Eventually ALL the states and US territories opted in.
The killer apps for now in early FirstNet are LMRI (land mobile radio inter-operability) and traffic prioritization (First Responder data traffic WILL get through). It happens to cut the costs of LMR operation as well.
Also, the ability to prioritize and pre-empt traffic on the FirstNet network is enabled NOT to some faceless gnome in DC, but rather a “local control” console. This means that if there is an emergency at the Port of Savannah, then the Public Safety team in that geography/jurisdiction can go online, SEE the affected towers suffering congestion, and set priority and pre-emption for those specific towers. It’s really powerful what FirstNet does and will do.
And GrandMa still gets to call, even if 7 engine companies and 5 EMT centers are guaranteed throughput.
I wouldn’t try to malign FirstNet until you know a lot more about it.
I aged-out of being a volunteer fire fighter. FirstNet would have been GREAT for us. Motorola radios are $5 - $10K APIECE. FirstNet would have let us use $500 Sonim rugged handhelds. PLUS the Sonim/Kyocera/Samsung gizmos will have apps on them that would help keep “me” and the public alive and safe.
It will never comply with the SafeCom Interoperabilty Continuum. The "killer aps" will come with come with monthly recurrent costs. Any mission critical push-to-talk is a long way away. AT&T has yet to improve coverage and capacity.
Yes, I have done a lot of homework on this and heavily involved.
Here is another "gotcha" in the Opt-In issue: If a state has statutory language that it cannot have any contact lasting longer than 10 years, yet to Opt Out the state would be required to have a 25 year contract, there is no recourse than to Opt In or be subject to Federal fines.
On top f all if it, the AT&T contract for FirstNet somehow was crafted so that it is never subject to FOIA....we will never know what is in the contract!
They have a lot to prove, in my state anyway, before any public safety agencies come in on board. Some will bite, but it will be a long while to be ubiquitous since AT&T has a poor track record of performance, and trust has been blown repeatedly.