Pennsylvania Legislature Schedules FirstNet Hearing Oct. 19
Mission Critical Communications 09-26-17
Three Pennsylvania legislative committees are holding a joint hearing Oct. 19 on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) review in the state.
The Pennsylvania Senate and House Committees on Veterans Affairs and Emergency Preparedness and the Senate Committee on Communications and Technology announced the hearing, which will focus on construction and interoperability of the commonwealth public-safety broadband network.
According to a Rivada Networks press release, the agenda includes how Pennsylvania can maximize potential revenues and keep those revenues in state, maintain control of its first responder and emergency communications, dictate how network revenues are invested in state, prevent the devaluation of its multibillion dollar investment in first responder networks, and uphold constitutional duties, mandates and responsibilities.
Last week, FirstNet and its industry partner AT&T said they delivered updated information to the state plan portals of the 53 states and territories where they delivered the original state plan information. State official notifications are expected “in the near future” and will begin the 90-day deadline for a governor’s opt-in or opt-out decision.
Rivada Networks said in a statement that the company will testify about opting out of FirstNet at the hearing.
In July, Pennsylvania released a request for proposals (RFP) for an alternative to the offer from FirstNet in the event the governor decides to opt out. Responses were due Sept. 7.