First Responder Communications Remain Vital on the 24th Anniversary of 9/11
The anniversary of September 11, 2001, is always difficult for the millions of Americans who lived in New York and Washington, D.C. and saw the terrorist attacks firsthand, and everyone else who watched the attacks and heard about the crash of the fourth plane in Shanksville, Pennsylvania. Thousands of first responders were involved in the response to the attacks, and many lost their lives, especially in lower Manhattan. It was only thereafter that the lack of interoperable communications among various federal, state, and city agencies was determined to have made their jobs more difficult.
The inadequacy of the first responders’ communications systems was one of the reasons the 9/11 Commission included in its recommendations the need to provide “close coordination during an actual incident.” The commission noted that, “The inability to communicate was a critical element at the World Trade Center, Pentagon, and Somerset County, Pennsylvania, crash sites, where multiple agencies and multiple jurisdictions responded. The occurrence of this problem at three very different sites is strong evidence that compatible and adequate communications among public safety organizations at the local, state, and federal levels remains an important problem.”
Congress sought to solve this problem by including the establishment of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) as part of the 2012 Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act. FirstNet received an allocation of $7 billion from the AWS-3 spectrum auction to build a communications network solely dedicated for use by first responders. It was launched in 2018.
FirstNet is available in all 50 states, with customized plans for first responders. Today, there are more than 7.5 million FirstNet connections, covering more than 2.99 million square miles. In 2024, FirstNet was used during the multi-agency efforts to combat the wildfires sweeping across western states, including the Park Fire in California; the Lee Falls Fire in Oregon; and the Pioneer Fire in Washington.
The system has also enabled firefighters in Brooks County, Texas to deploy a SatCOLT vehicle with its own cell site in support of more than 40 agencies and public safety personnel; allowed the Oxford, Alabama, police department to obtain a compact rapid deployable, miniature cell tower to assist first responders during emergencies in more rural areas; and helped solve Elizabeth, Colorado’s “patchy or nonexistent service” by installing mobile data terminals in ambulances and fire apparatus.
Despite clear evidence of its need and success, FirstNet’s authorization will expire on February 22, 2027. Early reauthorization is critical to provide certainty for continued interoperability of communications among first responders so they can safely carry out their missions.
On February 29, 2024, AT&T, the winning bidder for the FirstNet buildout, announced it would be paying more than $5.1 billion over five years to the FirstNet Authority, which plans to use the funds to support the “$8 billion commitment to enhance the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) that is being built and maintained by AT&T.” These sustainability investments by AT&T will total $18 billion over the 25-year life of its contract with FirstNet Authority.
Providing first responders with continued and improved interoperable communications is critical to their safety and the lives of those they are protecting and rescuing. They are the first to go into a dangerous situation and are often the last to leave. The brave Americans who serve as first responders should be thanked every day, but especially on the anniversary of 9/11. And Congress should take the opportunity on that day to announce that plans are being made to reauthorize FirstNet well before 2027 so first responders will be able to do their jobs to protect and save without having to worry about interoperable communications.
