FirstNet is a nationwide LTE broadband network reserved for firefighters, police, EMS, emergency managers, and 9-1-1 centers, built by AT&T under a federal contract awarded in 2017 to fill communication gaps exposed on 9/11. The federal authority that runs FirstNet was set to sunset in 2027, and this bill would extend it to September 30, 2037. It would also reorganize FirstNet's governance: actions taken by the FirstNet Authority would now need prior approval from NTIA (the Commerce Department's telecom agency), with exceptions for emergency response, strategic planning, and other day-to-day operational decisions. Within three years, the 15-member board would have to include at least five state, local, or tribal public-safety professionals from fire, EMS, emergency management, law enforcement, or 9-1-1 services, and a new career Associate Administrator position would be created to run operations. The bill would tighten oversight of the FirstNet contractor: the annual independent audit would have to grade the contractor's performance; the contractor would have to submit a business-continuity and disaster-recovery plan every five years; unscheduled outages would have to be reported to FirstNet within 30 minutes and shown to user agencies in a status tool; and the full FirstNet contract would have to be handed over to House and Senate committee leaders within seven days of any written request.
Congressional Summary
First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026This 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
Details
- Congress
- 119th
- Chamber
- House
- Status
- summarized
- Action
- Introduced in House
- Action Date
- 2026-02-05
- Date Added
- 2026-04-17