Virginia’s governor declares intent to opt-in to the national build by AT&T
Less than a month after state plans were released, the first state has decided to opt in to the national public safety LTE network that will be built by AT&T: Virginia’s governor has declared his intent to participate in the First Responders Network Authority’s network.
Taking advantage of FirstNet and AT&T’s early opt-in option, Governor Terry McAuliffe signed a letter of intent on Monday “declaring that the Commonwealth of Virginia will allow the First Responder Network Authority and AT&T to proceed with the deployment of the of the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network in Virginia,” according to a press release.
“I am proud that Virginia is the first state in the nation to opt in to this program that will help our first responders communicate during times of emergency,” said McAuliffe in a statement. “While this is only the beginning of the process, I look forward to the continued coordinated efforts among Virginia, FirstNet, and AT&T to provide public safety officials with innovative new technologies that will help them keep Virginians safe.”
Fairfax County Fire Chief Richard Bowers said in a statement that he was “extremely pleased that Virginia is choosing to opt into the network. Access to the network will provide us with additional tools to help ensure we can do our job when the time comes.”
Public safety users who opt in to FirstNet will “be able to take advantage of priority service on AT&T’s existing LTE network nationwide. Localities will have full local control to identify their responders and assign priority as needed based on the circumstances. By the end of 2017, public safety subscribers will also have preemption capability on the network, helping to further ensure their ability to communicate.”
The release of the plans in mid-June was three months ahead of the schedule originally proposed by FirstNet as part of its Request for Proposal; state plans were originally expected to be put forth six months after the $6.5 billion contract was awarded. States have until Aug. 4th to review the network information provided by FirstNet and AT&T through a restricted online portal, and then FirstNet and AT&T can take up to 45 days to respond to any requests for changes or amendments. After that 90-day period, another official 90-day period for governors to opt in or opt out of AT&T’s build will begin, with the opt-in/opt-out deadline falling in mid-December — although other states can follow Virginia’s lead in opting in as soon as they feel ready.
FirstNet said that since 2013, its representatives have met with Virginian government and public safety officials more than 90 times to address the state’s needs, including “understanding the importance of maritime coverage and increasing coverage in rural areas of the Commonwealth as well as coordination with military and federal government users.”
McAuliffe indicated that the state “will continue to work with FirstNet and AT&T and our local partners to provide feedback in order to ensure a viable network that will enhance public safety communications throughout Virginia.”
BREAKING NEWS: #Virginia to Opt-In to FirstNet’s National Public Safety Broadband Network via @GovernorVA https://t.co/G8sSDkFSoV pic.twitter.com/MYGNN2C6bT
— FirstNet Authority (@FirstNetGov) July 10, 2017
McAuliffe will participate in a ceremonial signing at FirstNet headquarters in Reston, Va. on Tuesday at 1:30 p.m. ET, which will be broadcast on FirstNet.gov.
