Technology is now being used to change and improve the quality of work and communications in nearly every industry. And as you already know, the public safety sector is no exception.

Way back in 2012, the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act was signed into law. Among other things, it created the First Responder Network Authority, or FirstNet, for short.

FirstNet’s mission was to build, operate, and maintain a nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated entirely to public safety.

Why was this necessary? Because at the local, state, and federal levels, there are tens of thousands of organization and individuals that respond to emergencies. And unfortunately, as communications technology has advanced, those organizations have run into interoperability problems and communications challenges. A change to a more interoperable system has been necessary for a long time.

Although FirstNet has been delayed for several years by legal challenges, it’s now ready to award a contract to a private partner who will help build the $7 billion network across the country. If all goes well, the winner of the contract will be announced later this year, and we’ll see the beginnings of a change to a dedicated, more interoperable system that has been necessary for a long time.

And at CES 2017 in Las Vegas this year, we got a glimpse of how broadband will facilitate that change.

One of the examples used at the conference was New Year’s Eve in Las Vegas. That night, practically every single law enforcement officer is working, and they have the ability to bring in the National Guard if necessary.

That equals a huge load on the communications networks being used. Once FirstNet becomes a reality, officers and departments will have their own dedicated broadband network with which to work and communicate.

Many potential ideas for moving forward with the technology were bandied about during the conference. Everything from mobile report dictation—to cut down on the amount of time spent writing reports—to automatic recognition of stolen vehicles’ license plates during traffic stops came up during the session. Even wearable technology to monitor officers’ health was addressed.

These are all developments that law enforcement officials are excited to see possibly become a reality when FirstNet gets up and running.

And FirstNet expects to be moving quickly once they finally award the contract. The wait has been long, but it’s also given them time to prepare, including laying out a 100-day plan with strategic milestones that they plan to hit once the contract is awarded and the ball begins to roll.

The push for better and more intuitive technology in public safety is only going to increase once FirstNet’s broadband network comes to fruition, and law enforcement agencies—and the general public—stand to benefit tremendously from these advances.

It certainly is a fast moving field, so if you’d like to learn more about technology and its effects on public safety, then take a look at our article, “5 Amazing Apps That Are Improving Public Safety.”