Law Enforcement Groups Want More Competition for FirstNet Authority Dollars
Both groups are suing the FCC to prevent FirstNet, operated by AT&T, from accessing more spectrum.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 21, 2026 – Two law enforcement groups are asking lawmakers to allow the Commerce Department to spend more public safety dollars with providers other than AT&T. Their request comes in the lead up to a Senate hearing on the future of FirstNet, the nationwide first responder network operated by AT&T, next week.
AT&T operates FirstNet under the oversight of Commerce’s FirstNet Authority. The company was awarded a 25-year contract to operate the network in 2017.
The FirstNet Authority will sunset at the end of 2027 unless Congress reauthorizes it.
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That reauthorization legislation should “include a provision that repeals grant/procurement requirements that favor AT&T given its exclusive partnership with FirstNet,” the National Sheriffs’ Association and Major Cities Chiefs Association wrote in a letter to House lawmakers. “This practice is outdated given the advancement of public safety communications options, and ultimately benefits a single corporate entity, not the public safety community.”
The letter was shared with leaders on the House and Senate Commerce Committees and signed by Jeff Norman, head of the Major Cities Chiefs Association, and Chris West, head of the National Sheriffs’ Association
The groups wanted noted that Verizon and T-Mobile have developed their own offerings aimed at public safety organizations, and called it “problematic” that “all of the FirstNet Authority’s multi-billion-dollar spending has gone to only a single carrier, AT&T,” because a 2024 AT&T outage took FirstNet offline.
“Many of our members now depend on multiple carriers to ensure reliability and resiliency,” they wrote.
Both the National Sheriffs’ Association and Major Cities Chiefs Association are members of a group currently suing to prevent the Federal Communications Commission from making more spectrum available to FirstNet. The group, the Coalition for Emergency Response and Critical Infrastructure, includes T-Mobile and Verizon as members.
Senate hearing set for Jan. 27
The Senate hearing on FirstNet authorization, scheduled for Jan. 27, is set to feature witnesses from the public safety divisions of both AT&T and Verizon. Those are Scott Agnew, President of FirstNet and Public Safety Mobility at AT&T and Cory Davis, Vice President of Verizon Frontline at Verizon.
Michael A. Adkinson, Jr., Acting Chair of the First Responder Network Authority Board, is also set to testify, according to the Senate Commerce Committee.
Commerce’s Office of Inspector General has issued negative reports on the FirstNet Authority in recent years, finding the agency obstructed audits and didn’t adequately hold AT&T to contractual benchmarks.
Senate Commerce's release said the hearing would “address” those findings.
“FirstNet enables our first responders to communicate effectively and efficiently as they work to save lives and protect our communities,” Sen. Deb Fischer, R-Neb., said in a statement. “This hearing will help Congress evaluate reauthorization of this critical nationwide public safety network as we identify ways to support its continued dependability and provide stronger oversight of the network’s management.”
Public Safety Communications Act (H.R. 1519)
In addition to future legislation reauthorizing FirstNet Authority, the House is also considering the Public Safety Communications Act, a bill that would stand up an office within Commerce to oversee FirstNet Authority and administer NextGen 911 grants.
Other law enforcement groups, the Fraternal Order of Police and Public Safety Broadband Technology Association, have opposed the bill, fearing the current FirstNet board, which the FOD said has been “highly responsive” to law enforcement input, would have less authority under the bill’s provisions.
Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., the bill’s lead sponsor, sought to defend the bill from the groups’ concerns at a markup last week where the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee advanced the bill.
“NTIA already has the responsibilities related to FirstNet and NextGen 911, but those responsibilities are not clearly defined in statute. This bill fixes that,” she said. “Our bill simply clarifies NTIA’s existing management and oversight role, including conducting regular audits.”
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