Illinois is among all 50 states and U.S. territories joining FirstNet, a nationwide wireless broadband network boasting a nearly unlimited capacity for crucial first responder public-safety messages, according to its website.
FirstNet (First Responder Network Authority) was created in 2012 when Congress acted on the 911 Commission’s recommendation to form a broadband channel to facilitate public safety messages, the site says. The goal of the network, which was created in a public-private partnership with AT&T, is to exchange video, audio, text and other communications in the field.
Herb Simmons, director of the St. Clair County Emergency Management Agency, said his group had been aware of FirstNet since it was created.
“For many years, the main problem in large scale incidents has been communications between first responders,” Simmons said. “My understanding is this will be heading in the right direction to correct those issues.”
According to an article in Forbes magazine, the network was necessary to standardize the broadcast quality of local emergency channels used by first responders across the country, which vary from district to district. AT&T won a 25-year contract with FirstNet, Forbes reported on Dec. 12, 2017, and will invest $40 billion in the project.
Although it’s unclear how AT&T will benefit from the contract, the Forbes article said its involvement could “open a new revenue stream” for the telecom giant.
Industry analyst Donny Jackson, editor of Urgent Communications magazine, wrote an article saying that although states can opt-out of participation in FirstNet, it is unlikely many would do so.
It “would create a potential uncapped financial risk that no jurisdiction was to assume in this struggling economy,” Jackson wrote in a 2014 editorial on the Urgent Communications’ website.
Simmons said next steps would be assessing its value to St. Clair County.
“On the surface, I think it will be a good thing for public safety,” Simmons said. “We are meeting with a representative to see just how it will benefit our county operation.”
Editor's note: The original story erroneously reported that only a handful of states had joined FirstNet.
Alerts Sign-up