Canada Continues Research on Implementation Models for a Public Safety Broadband Network

The safety and security of Canadians is very important to the Government of Canada. Last week, the Honourable Ralph Goodale, Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness, and the Honourable Navdeep Bains, Minister of Innovation, Science and Economic Development, announced a commitment of $3 million in 2017-18 to engage diverse stakeholders and produce evidence-based analysis on implementation models for a potential Public Safety Broadband Network (PSBN).

This engagement and analysis will provide the opportunity to better understand the potential benefits of a Public Safety Broadband Network, and will support decision making moving forward.

The Government of Canada will be engaging a range of stakeholder groups, including provincial, territorial and municipal governments, first responders, industry (e.g., commercial carriers, telecommunications sector, information and communications technology sector), critical infrastructure operators, representatives from small and remote communities, Indigenous community representatives, academia and international public safety counterparts.

The targeted engagement will focus on common or unique elements that would need to be considered for a variety of potential implementation models, such as existing capabilities and innovative solutions, technical/security requirements, public safety user requirements, infrastructure, spectrum licensing conditions and efficient use of spectrum, governance, costs, and revenue sources.

Back in In 2012, the Government of Canada already allocated 10 MHz of the 700 MHz spectrum for the public safety community. It announced the intention to allocate an additional 10MHz of the spectrum in 2015.