Lawmakers push first responder network on rural service

Senators on Tuesday pushed the head of a nascent communications network for first responders to make sure that it covers rural areas.

“Although FirstNet has made commendable progress in the past year, questions linger about the future viability of the network,” said Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), who chairs the Senate Commerce Committee’s tech subcommittee, during a hearing on public safety network FirstNet.

{mosads}“I appreciate FirstNet’s commitment to providing our rural communities with the same services as larger, urban cities, but rural and remote coverage remains a major concern of mine.”

Wicker’s subcommittee held the hearing on the network, which policymakers launched after first responders suffered communications failures during incidents like the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks. In theory, a unified network would allow first responders from different agencies to communicate more effectively.

Its early build-out was marred by allegations of failing to properly vet its board of directors and other complaints from watchdogs. But the situation at the network has gotten better, some lawmakers have said. The organization is now moving forward with courting vendors to build the system. Lawmakers on Tuesday said they remained watchful of the network’s development.

“With vastly rural populations having differing emergency needs, what challenges do you have there and what are your thoughts about covering the rural areas of this nation?” asked Wicker. Other lawmakers also raised questions about the way the network would serve rural communities.

Michael Poth, FirstNet’s chief executive, said they were “very focused” on serving the rural market. He later cautioned, however, that it was likely there would be spots the network didn’t cover.

“To expect 100 percent coverage is probably a very steep mountain to climb, no pun intended,” he said.

A representative of the Department of Commerce’s internal watchdog also warned that he believed the timeline for choosing a private sector vendor was “aggressive.”

That process hung over the hearing, since Poth said he was unable to answer questions on certain issues because of the procurement process.

“While Congress will continue to keep a close eye on FirstNet’s work, the reality is that we are in a wait and see mode until FirstNet chooses its private sector partner,” said Sen. Brian Schatz (D-Hawaii).