New Framework Challenges Agencies to Rethink How They Build Resilient, Interoperable Communications Networks
A new whitepaper hosted by the PSBTA, “Broadband First: A Strategic Investment Framework for Public Safety Communications,” calls for a shift from a traditional, radio-centered model to a network-centered architecture built around resilient broadband, while continuing to leverage Land Mobile Radio (LMR) where it performs best.
The whitepaper brings together three public safety professionals with deep experience in fire service, 911 operations, and communications technology: Brent VanKeulen, Strategic Advisor to the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) and 30-year fire service veteran; D.T. Donaldson, Director of MACC911; and Gerrit A. Klein, MACC911 Technical Services Manager, whose more than two decades of experience spans dispatch, law enforcement, fire/EMS, and technical services.
“Public safety has treated the radio system as the only communications network for decades, and that assumption is limiting what agencies can do for responders. A broadband-first approach does not abandon LMR. It adds resilient paths so firefighters, police officers, and EMS crews can keep talking, sharing location, and seeing the same data even when one network fails. For the people in the field, that means better situational awareness and a safer operation,” commented Brent VanKeulen, Strategic Advisor to the Western Fire Chiefs Association (WFCA) and 30-year fire service veteran.
Together, the authors offer a field-tested framework for maximizing the value of communications investments – not by replacing LMR, but by rethinking its role within a broader, resilient network that integrates broadband and other technologies to support voice, CAD, video, location, messaging, and emerging applications.
The whitepaper draws on an August 2026 field test hosted by the Multi Agency Communications Center (MACC911) in Grant County, Washington, with more than 60 public safety professionals participating. The exercise showed how a shared broadband architecture could connect previously unconnected radio systems and sustain communications as network paths were removed. It also revealed limitations that agencies should evaluate before deployment.
Four previously unconnected trunked land mobile radio (LMR) systems across three states communicated through the shared architecture. Two of the systems were connected in approximately 10 to 15 minutes without reprogramming radios. When cellular and satellite paths were removed, communications continued through other available paths. A vehicle-based gateway extended portable radio communications approximately 4.7 miles and enabled communication in an area without cellular or P25 trunked service.
The test also exposed intermittent audio loss, differences in emergency-button behavior, and restrictions on mobile radio transmission in certain gateway configurations. The whitepaper emphasizes that this was a field demonstration, not a controlled or long-term study, and recommends that agencies conduct their own testing before operational deployment.
Based on these findings, the whitepaper urges agencies to evaluate LMR, broadband, and other technologies against documented requirements for operational capability, resiliency, coverage, and future flexibility, rather than automatically investing in traditional radio infrastructure. The financial implications can be significant. The whitepaper cites estimates of $25 million to $50 million for a full LMR replacement in the western U.S., and $2 million to $3 million for a new tower site, compared with approximately $10K per vehicle for resilient broadband connectivity using multiple cellular carriers and satellite. At that level, $1 million could equip roughly 100 vehicles with connectivity supporting voice, CAD, video, location, messaging and other applications.
“Every capital dollar should be tied to the capability it delivers in the field. When agencies measure LMR, broadband, and satellite against the same documented requirements for coverage, resiliency, and interoperability, they make better decisions. Our field test showed that a modest, phased investment can be tested, proven, and then scaled, so agencies protect what works today while building what they will need tomorrow,” added VanKeulen.
Agencies also do not need to make a multimillion-dollar investment to determine whether a broadband-centered approach can work in their environment. According to the whitepaper, an initial test can potentially be assembled for less than $5K using a radio an agency already owns, a gateway device, and a commercial push-to-talk application.
For agencies that move forward, the whitepaper outlines a phased five-year strategy that maintains the existing LMR while building a resilient broadband layer alongside it. For a mid-sized regional agency, the estimated five-year investment is approximately $1.3 million to $2 million, with each phase tested and evaluated before the next investment is made. At its core, the whitepaper proposes a communications ecosystem in which LMR, broadband, satellite, fiber, microwave, Wi-Fi, and other connectivity options work together, allowing applications to use the most resilient available path.
As the whitepaper concludes, “The radio system should no longer be viewed as the public safety communications network. It should be viewed as part of the public safety communications network.”
About PSBTA
The Public Safety Broadband Technology Association (PSBTA) is an organization focused exclusively on ensuring the success of the entire FirstNet ecosystem that includes the government agency created by Congress, the network infrastructure, hardware and software, and the single most important component – the end users.