Carrizzo named as FirstNet Authority board chair

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Gina Raimondo today announced Chief Richard Carrizzo as the FirstNet Authority board’s chair. Carrizzo is first public-safety practitioner to lead the organization’s board and the sixth person overall to fill the role.

Carrizzo—the fire chief for the Southern Platte Fire Protection District in the Kansas City, Mo., area—initially was appointed to the FirstNet Authority board in 2018 and served as the board’s vice chair since September 2020. Carrizzo succeeds Stephen Benjamin, who vacated his role as FirstNet Authority board chair on April 1 to head the Biden administration’s Office of Public Engagement.

Raimondo expressed confidence in Carrizzo and thanked Benjamin for leading the FirstNet Authority board for more than two years.

“Rich Carrizzo has been an outstanding FirstNet Authority Board member who will bring strong leadership to the organization during the next phase of FirstNet implementation,” Raimondo said in a prepared statement.

“I want to thank Mayor Stephen Benjamin for his leadership of the FirstNet Authority Board. Under his leadership, the FirstNet Authority saw the deployment of the initial five-year network buildout and made critical investments to improve resiliency and coverage on the network. I congratulate Steve on his new position in the White House.”

Carrizzo was the fourth public-safety person to serve as vice chair of the FirstNet Authority board, but he now becomes the first to chair the body that makes policies that direct the development of the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN).

“I am honored to be named Chair of the FirstNet Authority Board and thank Secretary Raimondo for the appointment,” Carrizzo said in a prepared statement. “As a first responder myself, I have been so proud to see what the FirstNet Authority has accomplished for our nation’s public-safety community.

“The FirstNet Authority has brought the nation’s only public-safety broadband network to life in just a few short years. As we look to the future of FirstNet, I am excited to step into this role and work with my colleagues on the Board, the FirstNet Authority team, and the public-safety community to deliver critical communications for America’s first responders.”

Carrizzo becomes chair of the FirstNet Authority board during a potentially significant transition point. Last month, Joe Wassel was named as the new CEO to lead the organization’s staff.

In addition, the focus of the FirstNet Authority is expected to shift with contractor AT&T’s announced completion—albeit work that is still being validated—of the five-year planned buildout of the NPSBN that leverages the 700 MHz Band 14 spectrum licensed to the FirstNet Authority.

With the initial NPSBN buildout done, key responsibilities for FirstNet Authority board members include making strategic decisions about the best ways to maintain and enhance the NPSBN experience for first-responder users and agencies that subscribe to the service. These visions can be realized by investing about $15 billion in discretionary funds—fees collected from AT&T as part of a 25-year agreement—to improve the network.

Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and NTIA Administrator Alan Davidson said he believes Carrizzo has the knowledge to help the FirstNet Authority board make wise reinvestment decisions.

“Chief Carrizzo will excel as the new FirstNet Authority Board Chair,” Davidson said in a prepared statement. “His steady direction will be a huge asset as FirstNet moves towards future investments to upgrade its network and meet the needs of first responders. Chief Carrizzo will bring continuity and leadership during this critical time period.”

Carrizzo—whose term on the board is scheduled to expire in September 2024—is the sixth person to chair the FirstNet Authority board and the fourth new person to serve in the role in less than five years.

Sam Ginn was the original chair when the board was created in 2012. In 2014, Ginn was replaced by his vice chair at the time, Sue Swenson. Swenson led the FirstNet Authority board for four years as the organization conducted a procurement that resulted in AT&T being named to build the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) in March 2017 and as all 56 states and territories declined the opt-out option later that year.

Ed Horowitz succeeded Swenson as the FirstNet Authority chair in September 2018 and served in the role for two years. Robert “Tip” Osterthaler succeeded Horowitz in August 2020 but he served a relatively short stint during the final few months of the Trump administration and the initial months of the Biden administration.

Benjamin was appointed as FirstNet Authority chair in October 2021, when the FirstNet Authority board had an unprecedented number of new members named to serve on the panel.