On the Front Lines of Connectivity: Examining FirstNet’s Role in Public Safety

Video Description

WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Deb Fischer (R-Nebraska), Chairman of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation’s Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Media, will convene a hearing titled: “On the Front Lines of Connectivity: Examining FirstNet’s Role in Public Safety” on Wednesday, January 28, 2026, at 10:00 a.m. EST. As the Committee prepares to reauthorize the First Responder Network Authority ahead of its February 2027 sunset, this hearing will assess the progress of FirstNet —the nation’s dedicated public safety network— and the First Responder Network Authority, an independent entity within the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration that oversees the network. This hearing will also examine how the public safety communications marketplace has changed since FirstNet’s launch in 2017 and will address findings from the Department of Commerce Office of Inspector General regarding the adequacy of FirstNet’s oversight of its 25-year contract with AT&T. The testimony will help inform how best to structure FirstNet’s reauthorization to ensure that public safety continues to benefit from advanced and reliable communications. Witnesses: Sheriff Michael A. Adkinson, Jr., Acting Chair of the First Responder Network Authority Board Mr. Scott Agnew, President of FirstNet and Public Safety Mobility at AT&T Mr. Cory Davis, Vice President of Verizon Frontline at Verizon Mr. Mel Maier, Chief Executive Officer and Executive Director of APCO International