FirstNet Authority Board Clears Orders for 220 New Cell Sites
FirstNet Authority will sunset in February 2027 unless Congress reauthorizes it
WASHINGTON, Sept. 16, 2026 – The nationwide first responder network is in line for 220 new cell sites, its overseer announced Tuesday.
The FirstNet Authority which oversees the network, known as FirstNet and operated by AT&T, said Tuesday its board approved work orders for 220 additional sites. That’s in addition to 135 new sites approved late last year.
The board also cleared investments in new FirstNet services, FirstNet Authority said in its release.
“These investments will help us expand coverage, strengthen critical capabilities, and continue building the network alongside the first responders it serves,” Scott Agnew, president of FirstNet at AT&T, said in a statement.
In February 2027, the FirstNet Authority will sunset unless Congress reauthorizes it, something that stakeholders broadly agree would be detrimental. The House passed a reauthorization bill last year that would bring FirstNet Authority under closer watch from the Commerce Department, but the Senate hasn’t yet put forward legislation.
House Commerce staffers said last month that they were hopeful a deal could be reached before the end of the year, avoiding a temporary stopgap reauthorization.
FirstNet Authority said in a release that it identifies new cell site locations through workshops with public safety officials and other data. AT&T deploys the gear once FirstNet Authority selects a location.
In August, the FirstNet Authority board approved plans to spend $1.1 billion on network improvements in fiscal year 2027. That money comes from fees paid by AT&T and from subscription fees paid by local public safety agencies.
FirstNet was created in 2017 with $6.5 billion in spectrum auction proceeds, which AT&T received to fund the initial construction.
AT&T is supposed to pay the FirstNet Authority a total of $18 billion over the course of the 25-year contract. Much of that money will then be invested back into FirstNet.
In March, AT&T agreed to provide an extra $2 billion for FirstNet through a combination of reducing fees and providing cash. That was an agreement to update AT&T's contract at a future date, a person familiar with the matter said at the time, and the entities have not announced a new contract.
4.9 GHz
The Federal Communications Commission is looking to make more spectrum available to FirstNet. The agency voted last year to open up unused parts of the 4.9 GigaHertz (GHz) band to FirstNet, and successfully fought off a lawsuit from opponents who saw the move as a windfall for AT&T.
AT&T can use fallow FirstNet spectrum for its commercial wireless service under its contract.
FCC Chairman Brendan Carr, a commissioner at the time, supported the move to allow FirstNet into 4.9 GHz.
The process for doing that will involve the FCC selecting a band manager, and that band manager entering into a lease agreement with FirstNet. A selection committee appointed by FCC staff will find band manager candidates
In a filing posted Sept. 11, opponents of the plan said the selection committee should be made up mostly of current 4.9 GHz licensees, as they would be incentivized to pick a band manager that would minimize interference between incumbents and FirstNet.
The filing was submitted by a group called Coalition for Emergency Response and Critical Infrastructure, which had sued to block the FCC’s plan. CERCI includes T-Mobile and Verizon, as well as some public safety and industry groups.
