House committee approves FirstNet reauthorization
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By
Chris Teale
The effort will now move to the House floor ahead of the February deadline to reauthorize the public safety communications network’s authority for another decade.
A key House committee this week voted unanimously to advance a bill to reauthorize the authority of a public safety communications network, sending it on to the full House.
Lawmakers on the House Energy and Commerce Committee voted 51-0 for The First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act, which would enable FirstNet to continue until 2037 and make some changes to the program, including giving the National Telecommunications and Information Administration approval of many actions the authority could take.
“FirstNet is not just a network,” Rep. Neal Dunn, a Florida Republican who sponsored the bill, said during the committee’s markup. “It is the backbone of public safety communications in this country. When Congress first established the First Responder Network, the objective was clear — build a preemptive network for first responders that they could rely on. These brave men and women, the ones who step forward while others step back, who risk their lives to protect our communities, deserve nothing less than a resilient communication system.”
The law also mandates that FirstNet authority would have an associate administrator appointed by the NTIA administrator to manage staff, liaise with the agency and have other duties. NTIA would also be required to submit annual reports to Congress on cybersecurity and adoption rates, as well as brief the two congressional committees with jurisdiction. And the FirstNet board would be required to have two more seats dedicated to public safety professionals.
Reauthorization of FirstNet’s authority has been on lawmakers’ minds for some time, as the Feb. 2027 deadline approaches. Legislation to reup it for another decade was introduced in January and has moved quickly through the House. State and local government leaders, as well as public safety organizations, have been supportive of the reauthorization effort, and they renewed that support ahead of this hearing.
A joint letter signed by the likes of the National League of Cities, National Conference of State Legislatures and various public safety groups said FirstNet “continues to demonstrate its effectiveness daily during both national disasters and daily calls for fire, EMS, or law enforcement assistance.”
“It is important that this national resource is not allowed to expire,” the groups added.
There are plenty of challenges ahead, however. The U.S. Department of Commerce’s Office of Inspector General found in 2024 that FirstNet did not adequately assess the performance of AT&T as its contractor to make sure it achieved the desired connection results. Lawmakers said that must change if the network is to continue being successful.
“While the FirstNet Authority’s work has been positive for public safety, it is clear that the original law that created FirstNet contained structural deficiencies that at times opened the door to waste and mismanagement,” Rep. Frank Pallone, a New Jersey Democrat and the committee’s ranking member, said during the hearing. He added that this legislation “makes important reforms to increase transparency and accountability at the FirstNet Authority for the benefit of FirstNet users across the country.”
Congress established the First Responder Network Authority, an independent government authority within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, under the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. In 2017, AT&T won the contract to build out the network as a public-private partnership, and the company said in a recent fact sheet that around 31,000 public safety agencies and organizations are now subscribed, with around 3 million square miles of coverage.
AT&T also said there is more to do. The fact sheet said the FirstNet Authority will direct $8 billion in reinvestment in 5G, innovative public safety technology and coverage, with a focus on rural, Tribal and territorial areas. AT&T said it expects to spend $18 billion in sustainability payments to the authority in return for secondary access to the spectrum it holds.
"We applaud Chairman Guthrie, Ranking Member Pallone, and Reps. Hudson, Matsui, Dunn and McClellan for their leadership, as well as the entire Committee for moving FirstNet reauthorization forward with bipartisan support,” Mike Ferguson, AT&T’s executive vice president for federal legislative relations, said in an email. “This legislation ensures that the critically important FirstNet program, dedicated to public safety, will continue into the future. We urge the Senate to take up FirstNet reauthorization as soon as possible so a final bill can move to the President’s desk.”