FirstNet needs changes before reauthorization, some experts tell Congress

Federal officials, public safety advocates and representatives from major telecommunications firms on Wednesday urged Congress to reauthorize FirstNet, the public safety data network, before its legal authority expires in February 2027, but also suggested some changes.

At a hearing by the Senate Commerce Committee’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, witnesses suggested improvements to the network, including instating stronger oversight, expanding coverage to include more than one provider and ensuring the network is pace with emerging technologies.

A 2024 audit by the Commerce Department’s Office of Inspector General suggests that FirstNet’s governance structure could use stronger oversight mechanisms. It scrutinized the relationship between the First Responder Network Authority, the independent federal body that governs the network, and its contracted partner, AT&T.

“FirstNet Authority does not have reasonable assurance that the data AT&T is reporting is accurate and reliable to support the primary program objectives of public safety adoption and use of the network,” the report states.

To increase oversight, lawmakers discussed proposed draft legislation that would move the FirstNet Authority under the management of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, ending its independent status. Opponents to the change argued that the NTIA would create unnecessary bureaucracy and erode the independent governance structure established by Congress.

Two former chairs of FirstNet’s board, Richard Carrizzo and Sue Swenson, said in a letter to members of current board that they should oppose any reauthorization that codifies oversight.

“The draft-bill language contains numerous provisions that would negatively alter FirstNet’s structure, governance, operational model and ultimate success,” reads a letter from Swenson and Carrizzo, reported by Urgent Communications.

Mel Maier, executive director of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials International, which also opposes the oversight measure, argued during his testimony that in lieu of NTIA oversight, FirstNet should adopt clearer performance metrics, to ensure the network’s efficacy.

“These metrics could include network availability and latency during routine day-to-day operations, and network resiliency and performance during disasters and other large-scale emergencies,” Maier told lawmakers during the hearing.

Congress created the First Responder Network Authority in 2012, about a decade after the September 11th attacks, to bridge the gap between public safety agencies that sometimes struggled to communicate during major emergencies. The network gives first responders priority access to ensure they can always communicate.

Witnesses representing other carriers acknowledged the importance of reliable communications, and urged lawmakers to consider competition and redundancy, arguing that relying on a single provider’s infrastructure could introduce risk. Cory Davis, vice president of Verizon Frontline, the company’s public safety business, said it was unwise to create a “single point of failure” for critical communications.

“No single network should be the sole basket for our nation’s safety,” Davis told lawmakers.

Scott Agnew, president of FirstNet at AT&T, recommended that future authorization support enhanced 5G upgrades, expanded coverage and satellite service.

“Congress established the FirstNet Authority to build a nationwide high-speed broadband network dedicated to public safety, one in which first responders have priority, preemption, dedicated spectrum, interoperability when they need it,” Agnew told the committee.

The National Association of State Chief Information Officers this week named FirstNet reauthorization as one of its top priorities. Ninety-three percent of first responders also support reauthorizing FirstNet, according to a survey commissioned last November by the Public Safety Broadband Technology Association. First responders cited its reliability during natural disasters and multiagency incidents.

“Communication means the difference between life and death,” Sen. Deb Fischer, a Democrat from Nebraska who chairs the committee, said during the hearing.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee is scheduled to discuss FirstNet on Feb. 4, evaluating the network’s performance, transparency and accountability of operations.