As lawmakers begin working toward a potential reauthorization of the post-9/11 program that provides emergency communications services for first-responders, they will have to navigate calls for a revamp of its structure and for more competition.
A House Energy and Commerce subcommittee is headed toward a markup Tuesday after holding a hearing this week on a bipartisan bill that would make structural changes to the public-private First Responder Network Authority, known as FirstNet. Meanwhile, a Senate Commerce subcommittee also held its first hearing on the issue, though it does not yet have a draft bill.
Authority for FirstNet is set to expire in February of 2027, which committee witnesses said could lead the Federal Communications Commission to revoke the spectrum license that undergirds the network.
