Tomorrow the House Energy and Commerce Committee is considering the First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act (H.R. 7386), legislation to preserve the federal FirstNet Authority. Your representative serves on the committee and we ask you to request that your Representative vote for the amendment in the nature of a substitute.
Draft letter for your use is attached below.
According to current federal statute, the federal FirstNet Authority faces a termination date in February 2027. So, we must act now to preserve the mission-critical communications that the FirstNet Authority provides to local fire, EMS, and law enforcement agencies.
The amendment in the nature of a substitute would:
- Extend the life of the program to September 30, 2037.
- Increasing the representation of active public safety professionals on the FirstNet Board to ensure that the FirstNet network that was built for public safety will continue to meet public safety’s needs.
- Reinforce the FirstNet Authority’s ability to deploy emergency response capabilities and resources to emergencies and disasters; set strategic priorities for the network; develop an annual budget and outline reinvestment decisions; and manage the device and application ecosystem within the FirstNet network in a timely manner without bureaucratic interference.
This amendment was negotiated with the active participation of active fire chiefs and the IAFC was glad to see the House Energy and Commerce Committee staff work with us on the compromise language in a bipartisan manner.
Attached is a letter that you can use to ask your Representative to vote for the amendment in the nature of a substitute.