HR-7386 — First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026

YourVoice.Now SummaryTransparency & Accountability

Congress would keep the First Responder Network Authority — the federal body that oversees FirstNet, the nationwide broadband network for police, firefighters, EMS, and 9-1-1 — operating through September 30, 2037, instead of letting it expire under its original 15-year sunset. The Authority would lose its "independent" status: most of its actions would need prior approval from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), the Commerce Department agency it sits under, though emergency response and routine planning would be exempt. A new Associate Administrator, a career senior-executive position, would run staff and operations, and the Authority's board would have to include at least five state, local, or Tribal public-safety professionals (up from three) within three years. The company that builds and operates FirstNet under contract (currently AT&T) would take on new duties: notifying the Authority within 30 minutes of any unplanned outage, giving user agencies a live network-status tool, and filing a disaster-recovery plan with NTIA every five years. NTIA would owe Congress new annual reports on cyberattacks and outages and on how widely first responders use the network, plus annual briefings, and would have to hand over the FirstNet contract to committee leaders within seven days of a request. The annual independent audit would also have to grade the contractor's performance, and the Government Accountability Office would have to report on the Authority's 2037 termination within seven years of enactment.

Transparency & Accountability

Annual network report — New yearly NTIA report to Congress on cyberattacks and outages
Adoption-rate report — New yearly NTIA report by profession and geographic area
Congressional briefings — NTIA must brief House and Senate committees yearly
Audit scope — Annual independent audit must now evaluate the contractor's performance
FirstNet contract disclosure — Submitted to committee leaders within 7 days of a request
Outage notification — Contractor must alert FirstNet within 30 minutes of a confirmed outage
Network status tool — Contractor must give user agencies a real-time outage-status tool
Disaster-recovery plan — Contractor must file a continuity plan with NTIA every 5 years
GAO pre-termination report — Deadline moved earlier, to 7 years after enactment from 10
FirstNet Authority sunset — Delayed from a 2027 trigger to a fixed September 30, 2037 date

Congressional Summary

This bill extends through FY2037 and modifies the management of the First Responder Network (FirstNet) Authority. (The FirstNet Authority oversees the development and operation of FirstNet, a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for first responders.) The bill also requires certain actions of the entity operating FirstNet. Currently, the FirstNet Authority is an independent agency within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The bill removes the FirstNet Authority’s independent status and establishes an associate administrator in the NTIA to manage the FirstNet Authority’s operations. The FirstNet Authority’s actions must be subject to NTIA approval, with exceptions established by the NTIA. The FirstNet Authority’s Board must include at least five (currently, three) individuals who have served as public safety professionals.The entity contracted to develop and operate FirstNet (currently AT&T) must notify the FirstNet Authority within 30 minutes of any network outage and provide users with a network status tool to monitor outages. Every five years, such entity must submit to the NTIA for approval a business continuity and disaster recovery plan to ensure rapid restoration of the network following disaster-caused outages. Annual audits of the FirstNet Authority must include an evaluation of such entity’s performance.The NTIA must brief Congress annually regarding FirstNet and provide annual reports relating to cybersecurity and network adoption rates. Within seven years after the bill’s enactment, the Government Accountability Office must report on what action Congress should take regarding the termination of the FirstNet Authority in 2037.

Legislative Subjects

Advisory bodiesComputer security and identity theftComputers and information technologyCongressional oversightEmergency communications systemsEmergency planning and evacuationFirst responders and emergency personnelGovernment information and archivesGovernment studies and investigationsPerformance measurementPublic contracts and procurementTelephone and wireless communication

Details

Congress: 119th
Chamber: House
Status: summarized
Action: Received in the Senate and Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Action Date: 2026-04-21
Date Added: 2026-04-17
Source: Congress.gov →

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