Nineteen key public-safety and government-oriented groups have expressed support for letter calling for Congress to reauthorize the FirstNet Authority before the federal organization overseeing the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) is scheduled to sunset in less than two years
By Donny Jackson, Editor
Nineteen key public-safety and government-oriented groups have expressed support for letter calling for Congress to reauthorize the FirstNet Authority before the federal organization overseeing the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) is scheduled to sunset in less than two years.
Under the 2012 law that established the FirstNet Authority, Congress included language stipulating that the FirstNet Authority’s authority “shall terminate on the date that is 15 years after the date of enactment of this title.” The law was enacted on Feb. 22, 2012, with a signature from President Barack Obama, so Congress needs to take action by the same date in February 2027 to ensure that the FirstNet Authority can maintain its role as licensee of the 700 MHz Band 14 spectrum and as the entity overseeing the NPSBN.
In a letter Capitol Hill leaders dated March 17, representatives of 17 key associations encouraged Congress to reauthorize the FirstNet Authority this year.
“The organizations and associations below strongly support the removal of the sunset date for the FirstNet Authority and urge Congress to promptly enact this necessary change in 2025,” according to the March 17 letter. “This programme has allowed our first responders to worry less about connectivity and focus more on their lifesaving missions.
“Public safety is already struggling with rising costs and staff turnover. If dedicated and reliable connectivity is one less thing we must worry about, then the result will be more lives saved. The FirstNet Authority must not be allowed to lapse and should have long-term certainty about its future.”
The 17 entities signing the March 17 letter were the: International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC), National Fraternal Order of Police (FOP), International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF), National Volunteer Fire Council (NVFC), United States Conference of Mayors (USCM), International Association of Emergency Managers (IAEM), Congressional Fire Services Institute (CFSI), National Emergency Management Association (NEMA), Major County Sheriffs of America (MCSA), National Fallen Firefighter Foundation (NFFF), National League of Cities (NLC), National Association of Counties (NACo), National Association of Black Law Enforcement Executives (NOBLE), National Fire Protection Agency (NFPA), National Association of Emergency Medical Technicians (NAEMT), and International City/County Management Association (ICMA).
A second letter—dated March 21—to leaders of Congress expressed a similar sentiment.
“We urge Congress to permanently reauthorize FirstNet before its authorization sunsets in February 2027,” the March 21 letter states. “FirstNet is a public-policy triumph, providing broadband connections to over 27,000 state and local public-safety agencies throughout the nation. It is critical that Congress act on legislation to eliminate the sunset clause for the agency in order to ensure that state and local first responders continue to have access to the interoperable, nationwide broadband communication network they fought so hard to secure.
“The reauthorization of FirstNet is critical to ensuring that our first responders continue to have access to this essential communication tool. We urge Congress to act swiftly to remove the sunset date for the FirstNet Authority, thereby guaranteeing the continuation of this system for years to come.”
This March 21 letter was signed by representatives of the National Conference of State Legislatures and the National Association of Chief Information Officers—two entities that were not part of the group signing the March 17 letter. In addition, four organizations participated in supporting both the March 17 and March 21 letters—the United States Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, and the International City/County Management Association.
Public-safety officials have noted that political support for the notion of Congress reallocating 700 MHz spectrum to a public-safety broadband network was greatly enhanced with the endorsement from the so-called “Big 7” organizations for the idea.
With these two letters, five of the “Big 7” organizations—the US Conference of Mayors, the National League of Cities, the National Association of Counties, the National Conference of State Legislatures, and the International City/County Management Association—already have asked Congress to reauthorize the FirstNet Authority. The National Governors Association and the Council of State Governments are the two “Big 7” organizations that did not sign either the March 17 or March 21 letters.
No bills addressing reauthorization of the FirstNet Authority have been introduced in the House or the Senate.
All Beltway sources interviewed by Urgent Communications said they believe Congress eventually will reauthorize the FirstNet Authority, because the NPSBN—built and maintained by AT&T under a 25-year agreement that is due to expire in 2042—already supports more than 29,500 public-safety agencies with more than 6.7 million connections, and lawmakers would not want to disrupt this service.
However, these same sources offered significantly varied viewpoints about what language would be included in a reauthorization measure. Some believe there is support for Congress removing sunset language entirely, while others contend lawmakers will want to exercise greater oversight of the FirstNet Authority, which is a rare federal-government entity that does not rely on any funding appropriations from Congress.
FirstNet Authority Executive Director and CEO Joe Wassel told FirstNet Authority board members in December that securing reauthorization is “critical” to public safety.
