Communicating in a disaster

Communicating in a disaster | Benton Foundation …This impressive and unusual show of unity among the diverse public safety community is evidence of a much larger message to the nation: The United States must have a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband wireless network. This network will help provide first responders with the reliable, interoperable broadband communications they need and will address a glaring vulnerability in our nation's emergency communications and response capabilities. The creation of this public safety network is not inevitable; it will take concentrated effort and leadership. We must work together to implement a national framework with appropriate funding support that will give public safety the interoperable broadband communications they need, utilizing the most advanced technologies, uniformed technical standards, and economies of scale. We must invest now in our first responders. We should not wait for a disaster to make us wish that we had. …