A recent forum held in Washington, D.C. under the auspices of the National Governors Association (NGA) entitled, “Preparing for Public Safety Broadband,” saw teams from nearly 50 states and territories come together to “discuss the best path forward” in the construction of the nation’s first interoperable public safety broadband network as legislated by the U.S. Congress.

Among the topics discussed according to the press release from the NGA were: educating  governors and other key state policymakers on challenges and opportunities related to moving to public safety broadband; assisting states in the process of updating and developing statewide communications plans and business models for network development; assisting state in understanding the differences between participating in the national network or building a separate state network; and supporting additional opportunities for state leadership on broadband build out and governance.

The NGA also released two papers, Steps to Prepare for Public Safety Broadband and an accompanying white paper Preparing for Public Safety Broadband, which outlines the essential steps states can take now to prepare for implementation.