The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), an independent agency within the U.S. Department of Commerce, was created to empower the United States’ first responders with state-of-the-art communications tools, including a nationwide interoperable, wireless network. This network will be established in all 50 states, the 5 U.S. territories, and the District of Columbia per the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012.1 The creation of this law, FirstNet, and the ultimate establishment of a dedicated public safety network can be credited to first responders and associations like IACP who made a 9/11 Commission recommendation a reality.
