Informed Opinion: Why FirstNet Should Be Reauthorized Permanently

By Chief John Cueto, Chief of Police-Retired for the Town of Duck, North Carolina

On May 18, 2023, Rep. Lizzie Fletcher reintroduced a bill in the House of Representatives (her first attempt failed to advance in February 2022) that would permanently authorize the FirstNet Authority to build and maintain the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN). Fletcher’s bill — H.R. 3366, the “FirstNet Reauthorization Act” — proposes to address an earlier provision that would sunset the FirstNet Authority’s ability to continue to manage the NPSBN after fifteen successful years, set to occur in 2027. 

Since 2012, FirstNet has proven to be the most reliable and resilient network built by public safety for public safety, supporting 27,000 agencies connected with over 5.3 million devices in service. With over forty thousand positive outcomes described following disastrous happenings and planned events, testimonials by FirstNet users coupled with the dependability of a dedicated network core are strong arguments for Bill H.R.3366 and the reauthorization of FirstNet on a permanent basis.

In 2017, as a Chief of Police in the Town of Duck, North Carolina, I was faced with societal challenges that fostered technological advancements, providing for what would become requirements of body worn cameras, video recordings of motor vehicle stops, taser deployments, automatic license plate readers, and in-car camera systems. While cost is always a factor, state and federal grants softened the blow on equipment purchases. However, private communication carriers weren’t so keen on negotiating price, data usage, and more importantly, promising not to “throttle” communications.

The introduction of FirstNet solved my dilemma by offering modems that supported the necessary in-car bandwidth ecosystems and did not interrupt services. FirstNet also lowered our costs for data and provided a safety net during numerous hurricanes and planned events offering deployable satellites on light trucks (SatColts). Meanwhile, numerous features and web apps such as “uplift” and officer locators continued to strengthen the network and public safety, while improving investigative techniques and assisting our first responders. 

That’s not all: FirstNet’s dedicated network core separates public safety traffic from non-public safety, ensuring that first responders’ calls, texts, and video data receive priority and preemption — allowing them to be first in line on the network. More importantly, Congress insists that funds generated by FirstNet ($18 billion forecasted) are reinvested into the network to continue to alleviate dead zones and achieve the greatest nationwide coverage possible.

Reinvestment of funds into the FirstNet network ensures coverage while supporting the advancement of 5G onto 6G and so on, while attracting the development of interoperable devices, compatible equipment, and the most recent partnership with AST SpaceMobile to extend FirstNet service via satellite. All of these factors underline why the permanent reauthorization of FirstNet is key to ensuring that its public- private partnership can build on the success of the network for public safety. 

The promise made by Congress in 2012 was to confirm that a disaster like 9/11 would never leave first responders helpless without communications. In agreement with the founding public safety experts that testified before our representatives and senators, Congress made it clear that the most effective deployment of FirstNet was to be installed with one carrier and utilize one dedicated network core. 

H.R. Bill 3366 can achieve this goal permanently, and it should be passed in order to do so. The tragic and unnecessary loss of 9/11 due to public safety communications failures must never happen again.

If you need the reasons as to why FirstNet should be authorized permanently in bullet form, here they are:

• FirstNet is taking a “for public safety, by public safety” approach to planning and deploying the network. Through its consultation and outreach program, FirstNet has worked hand-in-hand with the public safety community to understand the capacity, coverage, service, and other public safety grade features they need to communicate and use 21st century tools on the job.
• FirstNet provides first responders with always-on priority service, and never competes with commercial traffic 5G access.
• FirstNet’s dedicated network core separates public safety traffic from non-public safety traffic. This ensures that first responders’ calls, texts, and data receive priority and preemption, allowing them to be first in line on the network.
• FirstNet is built to meet the operational and technical needs of first responders. It’s not a commercial wireless product that has been adapted ‘after the fact’.
• FirstNet covers more first responders than any other network with 250K+ square miles more than commercial networks​.
• FirstNet delivers readily available capacity during large events and provides reliability and security when disaster strikes.
• FirstNet is addressing rural coverage needs in multiple ways, deploying the network in places where coverage may be difficult. High-power towers can cover more rural space with less total infrastructure, as can deployable and satellite solutions.
• The FirstNet network is designed to deliver applications, devices, and services tailored to the needs of public safety. It’s an entire system designed to help first responders effectively respond to critical missions.
• Unlike many commercial network plans, FirstNet doesn’t block or throttle data or voice calling. 

If you need a bottom-line summary, here it is: By putting public safety communications first, FirstNet does what it is supposed to do. Anyone who remembers the proprietary commercial interests that contributed to the radio communication problems during 9/11 know that allowing market forces to affect public safety policy puts first responders second, and puts their lives and those of the public at risk. 

This must never happen again, and FirstNet was created to make sure it won’t. FirstNet is also working as planned, which is why it deserves to be – and needs to be — permanently reauthorized.