After an initial five-year buildout, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) Board recently voted to invest further into the public safety broadband network, expanding and fully transitioning it to a fully 5G network.
“The FirstNet Authority is making a major investment in public safety and the next generation of their network,” Chief Richard Carrizzo, FirstNet Authority board chair, said. “With the initial buildout now complete, we are focused on continuing the growth and evolution of the network, based on public safety’s evolving needs.”
Through Resolution 117, the board directed FirstNet Authority management to push forward evolutions of the system for its subscribers. It also increased FirstNet Authority’s investment budget to $547 million for FY 2024, as the organization proceeds along its three-part roadmap: creating a dependable network, enabling critical features and solutions to connect responders and agencies, and ultimately operationalizing advanced technologies to empower public safety’s growth.
“This investment is the next major milestone in the FirstNet Authority’s efforts to expand and upgrade public safety’s network,” Joe Wassel, FirstNet Authority Executive Director and CEO, said. “We are accelerating the evolution of FirstNet’s 5G capabilities and making sure the network continues to deliver the innovation and reliability that first responders need, now and in the future.”
The whole network is contracted with AT&T and currently serves 27,500 public safety agencies. Since 2012, it has operated independently within the U.S. Department of Commerce, as a way to guarantee first responders were equipped with a proper communication network to aid public safety operations and communities.