D.C. Circuit Upholds FCC Plan to Open More Public Safety Spectrum to FirstNet
The 3-0 decision said FirstNet could operate outside the 700 MHz band
WASHINGTON, July 21, 2026 – A federal judge upheld the Federal Communications Commission’s plan to open up more public safety spectrum to FirstNet, the government’s nationwide first responder network operated by AT&T.
A three-judge panel from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit unanimously ruled that FirstNet can operate in spectrum outside the 700 MegaHertz (MHz) band set aside for it by Congress in 2012.
