Cartt.ca obtained a presentation deck outlining outstanding issues
By Ahmad Hathout
OTTAWA – Public Safety Canada discussed resource and leadership challenges in setting up a dedicated broadband network for emergency responders in a January 2020 presentation obtained by Cartt.ca.
Innovation Canada (ISED), which manages federal telecommunications matters, allocated 20 megahertz of the 700 MHz spectrum in 2017 for a wireless network specifically dedicated to address emergency matters including natural disasters, large-scale events, and the implementation of the next generation 9-1-1 system, which will allow callers to send text images and video to responders.
But the secure, high-speed wireless communications network, which is expected to make emergency response more efficient, has stalled, as Cartt.ca reported last week. The Temporary National Coordination Office (TNCO), set up in 2018 to make recommendations on the development of the public safety broadband network (PSBN), has been delayed in releasing its final report, which was initially due in 2020.
Now, Cartt.ca can report additional details, which may shed more light on possible delays.
In the January 2020 slideshow presentation, under a header updating government ministers on the TNCO, Public Safety noted it needed to establish the governance structure as a “foundational priority” and that “cost allocation and/or funding sources to support governance structure still needs to be established.
“No one currently has a mandate to proceed with the establishment of governance structure(s),” the presentation said.
A request for comment to Public Safety was not returned.
Another challenge to the PSBN was leadership on the matter, according to the presentation. The presentation noted that, “Without ISED’s commitment to take on a leadership role, [Public Safety] will not be able to advance the work much further.”
As “leadership role” does not necessarily mean lead role, an ISED spokesperson told Cartt.ca Public Safety is leading the effort and “coordinating with other government departments and agencies as needed.”
Two key questions the presentation asked but did not answer on leadership, according to the presentation, were: “Are risks in reducing the [Public Safety] role overstated?” and “How would we manage stakeholder reactions, including pressures from the [police, fire, paramedic] community?”
The presentation noted the time-sensitive nature of the PSBN’s deployment, and specifically called attention to the “challenges of securing authorities in a timely manner,” which, “may result in delays or perceived inaction where [Public Safety] is not demonstrating its leadership role on the file – stakeholders could be highly critical.”
In addition, the presentation mentioned time sensitivity with respect to how decisions on the PSBN are important for the business plans of the telecommunications companies. It noted, for example, that the costs of deploying the PSBN can be reduced if telecom technicians only need to climb a tower once – akin to “dig once” policies where fibre infrastructure can be installed underground with routine government road repair or maintenance to save costs. The country’s telecoms are currently in the midst of building the next generation 5G wireless networks.
ISED, for its part, said it sought input from industry on “innovative, affordable, and sustainable PSBN options that would meet the requirements of the public safety community.” It also granted developmental spectrum licenses to test new technology in the spectrum for the PSBN, and in 2018, it published technical rules for the certification of PSBN devices.
The federal government itself had allocated $3 million to support those stakeholder consultations. But according to the presentation, Public Safety had to confine itself to “risk managing with existing resources” while “realizing some of the mandate requirements.
“Continued work would require securing additional resources and technical expertise,” the presentation said.
The presentation includes a slide about Public Safety’s role moving forward, including where the PSBN is not featured as part of the minister’s mandate letter. But those recommendations are completely redacted.
