House Prepares to Extend Public Safety Network for Next Decade

Congress is seeking to extend the authority of FirstNet, the nation’s wireless broadband network that serves first responders and public safety officials, before the program expires in February 2027.

The House Energy and Commerce Committee’s panel on communications and technology held a hearing Wednesday to review the service and explore ways to bolster it. A discussion draft, introduced by the committee members Reps. Neal Dunn (R-Fla.) and Jennifer McClellan (D-Va.), would reauthorize FirstNet for another 10 years and grant the Commerce Department’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration authority over the network, which is deployed by AT&T Inc.

“The legislation ...