Three keys to success for FirstNet 3.0

We set a high bar for excellence at the First Responder Network Authority. That’s because our work supports public safety. Lives depend on it.

Our mission is to deliver the best, most reliable communications for public safety. We stood up a nationwide broadband network with our network partner—AT&T—in record time. We have created a network that supports all of public safety, from rural to urban areas, tribal nations, across disciplines, and at all levels of government. We have built out broadband across an incredible span of the globe that includes covering U.S. Pacific territories, Alaska, Hawaii, the contiguous states, and our territories in the Caribbean.

To accomplish this incredible mission, the FirstNet Authority brings together the best from the public and private sectors through a partnership with AT&T. Each side plays an important role. While AT&T supports the buildout, adoption, and security of the network, we provide the expertise, governance, and oversight that ensures FirstNet answers public safety’s call.

This year, our public-private partnership achieved a major milestone by completing the initial buildout of FirstNet in all 50 states, 5 territories, and the District of Columbia.  This is a landmark achievement. Deploying a nationwide network, with tens of thousands of cellular sites, has never been done before for public safety. Further, through the deployment of FirstNet, we delivered more coverage and high-speed access to rural areas, remote locations, and tribal lands that previously had little or no broadband coverage.

This is just the beginning; the initial buildout serves as a launching pad for the future of FirstNet, or what I refer to as “FirstNet 3.0.” Now that we have moved beyond the initial planning (1.0) and network buildout (2.0) phases of FirstNet, we are laser focused on extending and evolving the network (3.0).

Here are three keys to success in FirstNet 3.0:

1. Listening to public safety. The FirstNet Authority’s public-safety advocacy program is one of our greatest strengths. We value our partnerships with public safety and will ensure these first responders continue to have a voice in the expansion of FirstNet, just as we did for the planning and initial-buildout stages of the network.
2. Learning about FirstNet’s impact. The FirstNet Authority is committed to learning from public safety about their use of the network and operational needs. This past year, the FirstNet Authority participated in nearly 1,600 engagements with public safety, including co-hosting the first 5×5: The Public Safety Innovation Summit. These engagements provide valuable learnings about the network’s impact on public safety operations and will help inform our plans for the future of FirstNet, which we outlined in the 2023 FirstNet Authority Roadmap.
3. Leading public safety into the future. Our commitment to public safety goes wherever the mission goes, and the network needs to support first responders when and where they need it most. As we look to the future, we will lead the evolution of FirstNet to a full 5G-capable network, strategically and swiftly. We are also planning enhancements to network coverage, expanding on the success of our initial buildout.

After a year of progress, we look ahead to 2024 with renewed purpose. We will listen, learn, and lead FirstNet in a way that is strategic and meets public safety’s needs, now and in the future. The network must keep pace with technology and continue to deliver the coverage that public safety needs for its operations.

The FirstNet Authority is fortunate to have a Board of technology, public safety, and government leaders.  I look forward to working with them to deliver on our vision to provide the best, most reliable network experience for the nation’s first responders.

I am excited for what the new year holds, and I look forward to working together to drive the network forward and answer “What’s next?” for FirstNet and public safety.

Joe Wassel is the executive director and CEO of the First Responder Network Authority. He was appointed to the position in March 2023.