In 2012, Congress passed legislation to create the First Responder Network Authority, known as FirstNet. Its mission is ambitious but necessary—to ensure the construction of a national broadband network for the use of public safety. As acting general manager of this enterprise, I am honored to be able to oversee the implementation of the final recommendation of the 9/11 Commission—a mission that is going to fundamentally change the face of public safety communications.

For too long, firefighters, police officers, emergency dispatchers, and others have endured a patchwork quilt of communication systems that, while effective in localized incidents, are not interoperable. We know that during the terrorist attacks of 9/11 the multiple responding jurisdictions at the World Trade Center and the Pentagon were not immediately able to speak to each other. We know a lot of work has been done at the local level to enhance communications abilities within departments. But the connections between departments have been lacking. FirstNet bridges those gaps.