Why FirstNet is the #1 Network for First Responders 

When it comes to first responder networks, FirstNet (powered by AT&T) is the #1 choice for U.S. public safety agencies.

“First off, FirstNet is the only dedicated public safety broadband network in the U.S.,” said 

James Mitchell, managing director/owner of the technology consulting firm Obelisk Associates. “It’s the only one that has ‘ruthless preemption’ — meaning that first responder traffic always comes first — exclusive Band 14 spectrum reserved for public safety to supplement AT&T’s own bandwidth, FirstNet coverage of all 56 U.S. states and territories, and a dedicated network core supported by AT&T that is unmatched by any other carrier, no matter what they may claim. This is why FirstNet is the #1 public safety network for first responders, because it is the only one of its kind.”

What Sets FirstNet Apart from WPS     

Unlike FirstNet, Verizon and T-Mobile do not have exclusive spectrum dedicated to first responders for voice, video, and data. Instead, public safety agencies who use these services have to rely on the same networks used by consumers and businesses, which tend to overload with traffic during emergencies.

To rationalize this shortcoming, non-FirstNet services like to highlight their access to Wireless Priority Service (WPS). According to the FCC’s WPS website as recorded in the Internet Archive (now that public access to this FCC content has been censored), “WPS is a Federal program that authorizes cellular communications service providers to prioritize calls over wireless networks. Authorized users dial *272 on a WPS enabled device to receive calling queue priority. WPS calls do not preempt calls in progress, but provide priority status over [a] cellular communications network.”

FirstNet provides the coverage and reliability that first responders actually need, rather than the coverage that cellular companies are willing to provide.”

WPS was created after 9/11 to ensure that White House officials have priority voice service during emergencies. It does not apply to data or video, and “there’s no ruthless preemption,” Mitchell said. “In other words, you can call into WPS as an authorized user and still have to wait in a queue for an open line — and forget about video and data. This never happens with FirstNet.”

Always-On Priority and Preemption 

Unlike all other commercial U.S. cellular services that target first responders as clients, FirstNet (owned by public safety) is the only one that offers always-on priority and preemption to public safety users. “In the event that a 9/11 catastrophe should occur, first responders can rely on having always-on priority and preemption service on AT&T’s commercial network, plus exclusive access to Band 14 at all times,” said Mitchell. “FirstNet’s approach maximizes communications availability for police, fire, and EMS in ways that no other carrier can.”

Unmatched FirstNet Coverage and Reliability .

When FirstNet was being built in 2016-2017, the 2012 Congressional ‘Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act’ that created the FirstNet Authority (they run the network) required its staff “to go through all 56 states and territories, and consult directly with public safety agencies on what their coverage requirements were,” Mitchell said (who was with the FirstNet Authority in its early days). “All of these requirements went into the RFP, which AT&T won the contract through a competitive process. This ensured that FirstNet provides the coverage and reliability that first responders actually need, rather than the coverage that cellular companies are willing to provide.”

Resilient Communication Infrastructure 

When it comes to providing a resilient communications infrastructure, FirstNet has first responders covered. “FirstNet has physical resilience, which means redundant protection from power outage and cyber attacks,” said Mitchell. “It also has systems in place to backup software-driven operations. Better yet, AT&T has since extended these levels of protection to all of their networks, not just FirstNet.”

Innovative Features Built for First Responders    

By offering exclusive Band 14 service and always-on priority and preemption to first responders, FirstNet is innovative by nature. “It also has a Public Safety Advisory Committee made up of first responders that make sure public safety’s needs come first, which no other carrier has,” Mitchell said. “Add in innovative features such as Mission Critical Push-to-Talk, which brings handheld radio one-button-push capabilities to smartphones, and FirstNet Z-Axis that allows you to locate first responders in multi-level buildings, and FirstNet is way ahead of the competition.”

How FirstNet was Used in Past Emergencies 

FirstNet has been helping U.S. first responders save lives since the day it was launched in 2018 — and even before. “When Hurricane Maria hit Puerto Rico back in 2017, we had just awarded the contract to AT&T,” said Mitchell. “Even though the FirstNet brand didn’t even exist then, the FirstNet Authority worked with AT&T to get emergency communications restored on the island.”

Since then, FirstNet emergency transmission equipment and FirstNet Response Operation Group (ROG) crews have been on site after every major disaster and emergency to hit this country. “Not only is FirstNet there to support first responder communications, but they also try to restore commercial cellular communications wherever they can,” Mitchell said. “Whatever happens, FirstNet is always there to help.”

Support the Reauthorization of FirstNet 

By 2027, the 2012 Congressional bill that created FirstNet is up for reauthorization. Not surprisingly, FirstNet’s 7 million public safety users not only want FirstNet to be reauthorized, but reauthorized for good.

“Reauthorizing FirstNet for good is probably the most important thing that Congress can do,” said Mitchell. “After all, FirstNet works — it is delivering the communications improvements that police, fire, and EMS asked for in the wake of 9/11. Meanwhile, the only reason this legislation had a 15-year renewal date built into it was as an ‘off ramp; in the event that the program didn’t work out — which it has. In fact, today, you’ve got other countries trying to design their own versions of FirstNet for themselves. This is why it would be a shame if Congress didn’t act to reauthorize FirstNet in its current state and continue the work that’s being done to date — because there is so much more great innovation  to be done.”