Thune to lead Senate Commerce Committee hearing to discuss FirstNet

United States Sen. John Thune (R-SD), chairman of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee, will lead a hearing on the establishment of a nationwide high-speed network for first responders on March 11.

The hearing is entitled “Three Years Later: Are We Any Closer To A Nationwide Public Safety Wireless Broadband Network?”
Scheduled to appear on the panel to testify at the hearing are Susan Swenson, chairwoman of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), Bruce Andrews, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Mark Goldstein, director of Physical Infrastructure at the Government Accountability Office (GAO), and Todd Zinser, inspector general of the U.S. Department of Commerce.

FirstNet, an organization designed to act as an independent authority in the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and to “provide emergency responders with the first nationwide, high-speed network to be dedicated to public safety,” was created in 2012 under pressure from the public safety community, with funding provided by the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act legislation. The original concept of such a network was developed in the wake of 9/11, when first responders attempting to communicate on separate networks was seen as a caveat during emergency situations.

The hearing, which will take place at 10 a.m. in the Senate Russell Office Building – Room 253, will review the status and the progress of FirstNet’s nationwide wireless broadband network in place for emergency responders. Witnesses at the hearing will discuss their successes and challenges encountered in building the network, as well as the likelihood that FirstNet can become a self-funding entity, as required by the law.