Emergency Public Safety Network Extension Advances to House Vote

House lawmakers advanced bipartisan legislation that would authorize FirstNet, the country’s wireless broadband public safety network, to continue operations through 2037.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee Wednesday approved the bill (H.R. 7386) during a markup, sending the measure to the floor for a vote. Lawmakers voted 51-0 in favor of extending the program.

FirstNet, run by AT&T Inc., is the emergency network that public safety personnel—including police officers, health care workers, and firefighters—rely on during emergencies and disasters. Congress is seeking to reauthorize the program, which began 15 years ago in the aftermath of 9/11, before ...