The Emergency Management Performance Grant Program (EMPG) closed on June 24, 2024, with a total of $319.55 million dollars available to support various local governments in disaster preparedness. All 56 states and territories in the United States were able to sign up for this program, which included Motorola’s CBRS Private LTE (NITRO). 

The goal of the grant program is to build up capabilities across the nation in preventing, mitigating, responding, and recovering to disasters. Emergency communication was included as a particular focus of the program. Private LTE, which in this case is represented by Motorola’s Nitro, is able to adapt to disasters more quickly than a traditional Wi-Fi network because of its improved latency and flexibility. 

Motorola says that Nitro is “a fixed private broadband wireless solution designed for critical infrastructure and enterprise. Nitro enables fast and secure transmission of voice and data to increase operational efficiencies of businesses and enterprises. Being a private closed network, Nitro system owners have complete control over coverage, access and usage. In the US, Nitro systems operate predominantly in the CBRS (3.5GHz) frequency band and are compatible with FCC certified user devices from many manufacturers.”

Motorola’s Nitro is one of many possibilities that states and territories could invest in. Other preparedness investments states could partake in included WAVE PTX Broadband Push-to-Talk Communications, License Plate Recognition, and School Safety & Protection capabilities. 

 FEMA identified protection of crowded places as a matter of greatest concern, while secondary concerns included effective planning and training and awareness campaigns. Private broadband can be used to enhance any of these options. By using a more secure network than Wi-Fi, schools will be safer and able to communicate within the network more rapidly.

The application process closed on June 24, 2024. You can find out more at fema.gov or motorolasolutions.com. For more information on private broadband, return to locallte.com.