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It's taken many years of effort and dedication, however the vision of a nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network closer to reality today.  Since the events of 9/11, state and local governments have made significant investments in time and money to improve or replace the land mobile radio (LMR) systems in use by public safety agencies and first responders. With  billions of dollars in federal grants and more radio spectrum made available, interoperability among LMR systems has improved, but full interoperability remains a distant goal. Even with the proposed public safety broadband network, many expect it will take another decade or more to acheive the stated goals.  

If you need some background on the basics and an excellent overview of the challenges (and information from current 700 MHz waiver jurisdictions), check out this report from GAO -
Various Challenges Likely to Slow Implementation of a Public Safety Broadband Network

In its opening summary, GAO provides this observation of the obstacles that will be faced during implementation:

There are several challenges to implementing a public safety broadband network, including ensuring the network’s interoperability, reliability, and security; obtaining adequate funds to build and maintain it; and creating a governance structure. For example, to avoid a major shortcoming of the LMR systems, it is essential that a public safety broadband network be interoperable across jurisdictions and devices by following five key elements to interoperable networks: governance, standard operating procedures, technology, training, and usage.