Broadband First: Field Test Reshapes How Public Safety Should Invest in Communications

A paper released today argues that public safety leaders can best serve their responders and communities by organising communications around resilient broadband networks, rather than around a single technology such as their radio system, as is common practice among many agencies today. Under this reframed approach, the land mobile radio (LMR) system is treated not as the public safety communications network itself, but as one part of a broader network — a shift the paper's authors say improves investment decisions and can deliver greater capabilities at lower cost.

The paper, titled Broadband First: A Strategic Investment Framework for Public Safety Communications, draws on an August 2026 interoperability field test hosted by the Multi Agency Communications Center (MACC911). More than 60 public safety professionals took part in the exercise, which linked four previously unconnected radio systems across three states — Washington, California and New Mexico — over a blended broadband architecture. A shared talkgroup was kept active throughout as cellular and satellite paths were disconnected one at a time. The test used vehicle-based gateways to carry a portable radio's traffic up to 4.7 miles, and to maintain radio service communications inside a jail facility where both cellular and trunked radio service had dropped.

The paper contends that agencies should not default to investing their next generation of capital into LMR systems, but should instead evaluate the option that best serves their operational requirements, with LMR competing directly against broadband alternatives. According to the paper, the underlying economics often support this reconsideration: a single new tower site typically costs between $2 million and $3 million, while $1 million can equip roughly 100 public safety vehicles with a resilient broadband package supporting voice, computer-aided dispatch (CAD), video, location and messaging. In many settings, the paper notes, a broadband-equipped vehicle fleet can serve as a direct substitute for a tower, while also adding data capabilities that a tower cannot provide.

The authors stress that the paper is not a call to remove radios from firefighters or police officers. LMR, they note, remains well suited to immediate, shared tactical voice communications and should continue to be funded for that purpose. Agencies wishing to test the paper's claims for themselves can reportedly do so for under $5,000, using a radio they already own, a gateway device and a commercial push-to-talk application. For agencies ready to move toward a broadband-centric network, the paper sets out a phased, five-year investment plan totalling roughly $1.3 million to $2 million for a mid-sized regional agency, with the recommendation that agencies typically begin by bridging radio traffic onto the internet.

The paper was authored by Brent VanKeulen, Deputy Chief (Ret.), Western Fire Chiefs Association; D.T. Donaldson, Director, MACC911; and Gerrit A. Klein, Technical Services Manager, MACC911.

"We wrote this paper to start a conversation. We're asking agencies to read it, and put the thesis to the test. The best way to know whether a broadband-first approach fits your community is to try it, see if it can help your teams carry out their critical missions and ultimately save lives," the paper's authors said.