Arkansas, Wyoming and Kentucky join Virginia as the first states to opt in to FirstNet network
The First Responders Network Authority is gaining momentum as states begin to declare their official decisions to opt in to the national public safety LTE network build: Virginia kicked things off on Monday as the first state to opt in, followed rapidly by Wyoming, Arkansas and Kentucky.
A map of states and their status with FirstNet is available at FirstNet.gov. FirstNet and AT&T have released 53 out of 56 plans for states and territories (three territories’ plans have yet to be released), have plan reviews scheduled with 42 out of the 56, and have four opt-ins and no opt-outs thus far.
Public safety users in states that opt in to FirstNet can become FirstNet customers and immediately access priority service on AT&T’s current LTE network, with “full local control to identify their responders and assign priority as needed based on the circumstances,” AT&T and FirstNet have said. Preemption capabilities are expected to be implemented by the end of the year, according to AT&T.
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 states can (and clearly are) taking advantage of the opportunity for early opt-in to join as soon as they feel ready.
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