Last year in December, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) passed new regulations regarding the concept of Net Neutrality. Those rules, set to go into effect this November, require internet service providers to treat all content equally with respect to download speeds, increase their own disclosure and transparency related to network management and reliability, and prohibit providers from blocking any legal content.

Devising and implementing a national broadband policy has been a notable priority for the Obama administration. Since including over $7 billion for the expansion of broadband in the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, the Obama administration has worked primarily through the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to achieve this goal.

For many in the first responder community, the looming January 1, 2013 deadline will inevitably mark a day of reckoning. As many of us know, the Federal Communications Commission’s forthcoming narrowbanding requirements call for each current 25 kHz legacy wideband channel to be divided into two 12.5 kHz narrowband channels, thereby resulting in twice the number of available frequencies for communication and information sharing needs to be met. Failure to comply with this narrowbanding deadline will result in a loss of licensed communication and possible FCC fines.