The initial buildout of FirstNet came in “on time, on budget, and on task,” according to First Responder Network Authority Board Chair Chief Richard Carrizzo. The five-year initial buildout began with plans for all 50 states, Washington, D.C., and five U.S. territories.
AT&T broke ground on the nationwide buildout of FirstNet in 2018, after all 56 states and territories opted into the public safety broadband network. The public-private partnership project’s hard and fast completion date was set for March 30, 2023.
Carrizzo noted that FirstNet was the answer to the communications failures that occurred during the response to the September 11 terrorist attacks. Creating a single, nationwide broadband network specifically for first responders required input from the public safety community, which provided “essential feedback and guidance” throughout the process and “informed every state of the initial buildout.”
Over the last five years, FirstNet has delivered more than 1,000 new, purpose-built cell sites for emergency response. The project has also supplied updated infrastructure and deployed Band 14, providing dedicated connectivity to all first responders, including career or volunteer, federal, tribal, state or local, urban, suburban, or rural personnel.
FirstNet covers nearly three million square miles, including rural areas. Public safety input directed where connectivity was needed.
According to Carrizzo, the next phase will focus on “evolving, enhancing, and expanding” the network. FirstNet and AT&T will continuously innovate “to ensure first responders can reliably communicate and access advanced, purpose-built solutions to keep both themselves and their communities safe,” he added.
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