NTIA head Davidson calls FirstNet a ‘success story,’ supports reauthorization before 2027 sunset

Congress should pass legislation that reauthorizes the FirstNet Authority “well in advance” of its scheduled sunset in 2027, because the organization has proven to be “an amazing success story, according to National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) Administrator Alan Davidson

Davidson made the comments last week during a hearing of the House communications and technology subcommittee, noting the dramatic transformation that the FirstNet Authority and its FirstNet nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) have undergone during the past seven years.

“I served in the Commerce Department previously, and when I was serving in 2015 and 2016, FirstNet was just a PowerPoint presentation—it was an idea,” Davidson said during the hearing. “To come back now and see a network that is supporting over 4.7 million first responders around the country [and] over 25,000 public-safety agencies—fire departments, … police departments, EMTs who are relying on the FirstNet network to make sure that they have connectivity on a bad day, in case of emergency.

“The network is working incredibly well, so it’s really an example of a success story of how we can build a public-private partnership to serve a real need for our first responders.”

With this in mind, Davidson expressed support for efforts to reauthorize the FirstNet Authority, which is scheduled to sunset in 2027 under the law passed by Congress in 2012 that established the FirstNet Authority as an independent authority within NTIA. One such piece of legislation recently was introduced by Rep. Lizzie Fletcher (D-Texas).

“We need that reauthorization,” Davidson said. “We now have millions of first responders who are relying on the network. It’s been highly successful—there are stories every month, every year, all the time about how FirstNet has been able to help in the case of day-to-day emergencies and in the case of major disasters.

“We need to reauthorize it to make sure that it’s on firm footing, and we should do it well in advance of the actual deadline, so that we can continue to operate with confidence and with our private-sector partner [FirstNet Authority contractor AT&T] to make sure that we continue to invest in the network and build it out for the first responders who need it.”

NTIA’s other key focus in the public-safety-communications arena is the transition to next-generation 911 (NG911), according to Davidson.

“The second big area is around next-generation 911 services and really investing in making sure that our first responders have the technology that they need to be really effective in supporting Americans in moments of emergency,” he said.

Much of the subcommittee’s questioning during the hearing revolved around funding associated with the Broadband Equity, Access and Deployment (BEAD) program, with several lawmakers expressing concern that the guidance to date indicates an intention to prioritize fiber deployments significantly more than other broadband alternatives. Davidson said that other alternatives—for instance, fixed wireless and satellite-based solutions—are eligible and updated the program’s timeline.

“We’re going to make our [BEAD] allocations by the end of June,” Davidson said. “The states will know how much money they have [available to them at that time] … They have six months to put in their plans. They have a big homework assignment, because we shouldn’t write large checks without understanding how people are going to spend the money.”

Davidson also cited the importance of NTIA understanding “the risks and the benefits” of artificial intelligence (AI), noting that comments are due June 12 in the NTIA’s proceeding on the matter. NTIA hopes to share those comments with Congress and the public shortly after the deadline, he said.