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| Agency overview | |
|---|---|
| Formed | 2012 |
| Headquarters | 12201 Sunrise Valley Drive Reston, Virginia 20192 38°56′48″N77°22′02″W / 38.9466°N 77.3672°W /38.9466; -77.3672 |
| Annual budget | $684 million (2025) |
| Agency executive |
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| Parent department | Department of Commerce |
| Parent agency | National Telecommunications and Information Administration |
| Website | firstnet |
TheFirst Responder Network Authority, commonly referred to as theFirstNet Authority or simplyFirstNet, is an independent government authority of the United States that was created under theMiddle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (MCTRJCA). The purpose of FirstNet is to establish, operate, and maintain an interoperable public safety broadband network. To fulfill these objectives, Congress allotted $7 billion and 20 MHz of radio spectrum to build the network.[1]
FirstNet is an independent authority within theU.S. Department of Commerce'sNational Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA).[2] The First Responder Network Authority Board is governed by a 15-member Board of Directors. Ex-officio board members include theUnited States Secretary of Homeland Security, theUnited States Attorney General, and the Director of theOffice of Management and Budget. The remaining 12 members are selected by theUnited States Secretary of Commerce for their public safety, technical, network, and/or financial expertise.[3] Prior to FirstNet, thePublic Safety Spectrum Trust was selected by theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) as thePublic Safety Broadband Licensee (PSBL) for the 10 MHz of 700 MHz public safety nationwide broadband spectrum.
Currently the members of the FirstNet Authority Board are:[4]
In March 2023, Joseph Wassel, a previousDepartment of Defense executive who founded a global working group on public safety communications, was named as the new CEO of FirstNet.[5]
The construction of the nationwide FirstNet network requires each state to have a Radio Access Network (RAN) that will connect to FirstNet's network core. According to the MCTRJCA, FirstNet is responsible for consulting with states, local communities, and tribal governments to develop the requirements for its RAN deployment plan. These efforts began in May 2013. However, each state will have the option to either allow FirstNet to create the RAN or to "opt out" and create its own RAN. Even if a state chooses to opt out and receives approval from theFederal Communications Commission (FCC) to develop its own RAN, the RAN must use the FirstNet network core and must meet FirstNet requirements. For a state to receive FCC approval, it must demonstrate the following abilities:
States that meet these criteria and receive FCC approval may apply for grant funding through theNTIA.[6]
Calls for the nationwide broadband system came after September 11, 2001. The federal government has been working toward a system ever since that time. The 9/11 attacks "highlighted the inability for deployed public safety networks to handle a true crisis situation."[7]
FirstNet is in the early stages of creating the first nationwide high-speed broadband wireless network "providing a single interoperable platform for law enforcement, firefighters, paramedics and other public safety officials in every state, county, locality and tribal area.” In an April 2016 article, a spokesman for FirstNet said “FirstNet is going to really revolutionize the communications technology for first responders. Our next-generation technology isn’t just going to save lives, but it’s going to keep our first responders safer and make our communities safer, because it’s going to provide extra situational awareness for people out in the field.”[8]
Currently, there are around 10,000 different and incompatible “land mobile radio networks" that first responders in the U.S. use in their jobs. This patchwork of different systems can get in the way of first responders' being able to effectively communicate with each other during emergencies.[8]
States are able to opt out of FirstNet's new nationwide broadband network. FirstNet assists those states by providing a guide that helps the states deploy communications networks that have interoperability with other systems.[9]
The Federal Communications Commission and theNational Telecommunications and Information Administration are also involved in coordinating the broadband system.[10]
At a U.S. Senate hearing in July 2016, SenatorsBrian Schatz (D-Hawaii) andRoger Wicker (R-Mississippi) expressed concern to FirstNet's CEO, who was testifying at the hearing, about various issues related to the national broadband system. Schatz said that he would rather see FirstNet partner with states instead of "establishing a 'grantee-grantor relationship'". Wicker said he was concerned that the $7 billion budget for the program was not enough funding.[11]
In August 2016 FirstNet held a border security forum inPhoenix, Arizona. FirstNet officials met with federal and local security officials to discuss problems with communications networks and updates on FirstNet's deployment of the national broadband wireless network. FirstNet's representatives said thatLTE technology (the data and apps that people have on their smart phones) will help emergency responders during public emergencies.[12][13]
FirstNet is headquartered inReston,Virginia, with technical headquarters inBoulder,Colorado. The authority board created a public-private partnership withAT&T in March 2017 to build out FirstNet.
In December 2017, all 50 states opted in to the network plan with AT&T,[14] but questions remained about when it would be deployed and how cost-effective it is.[15]
In December 2023, FirstNet Authority Board Chairman Richard Corrizzo announced that the FirstNet Authority had validated that AT&T had completed the initial five-year network buildout by the March 30, 2023 deadline.[16]
As a result of the abovementioned partnership, all FirstNet subscribers use theAT&T Mobility cellular network, with maximumpriority given to4GLTE Band 14 (700 MHz) originally reserved for FirstNet[17][18] as well as other frequency bands over other AT&T subscribers.[19]
FirstNet was characterized as "the most wasteful post-9/11 initiative" by the journalistSteven Brill in 2016.[20]
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