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Sheriffs, emergency managers urge Congress to extend FirstNet authority, prioritize resilience and cybersecurity
Summary
County and state emergency officials told a House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee that reauthorizing and funding FirstNet is essential to keep public‑safety broadband resilient and secure, and recommended extending FirstNet's statutory authority beyond its 2027 sunset.
Local law‑enforcement and emergency managers urged Congress to reauthorize the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and strengthen requirements for coverage, redundancy and cybersecurity to protect public‑safety communications.
Sheriff Shannon Dicus of San Bernardino County told the subcommittee that FirstNet has delivered tangible benefits to her jurisdiction and that ‘‘the build out of FirstNet is critical’’ for providing dedicated priority broadband to first responders. She testified that California’s decision to opt in to FirstNet ‘‘brought five new FirstNet towers to our county’’ and described…
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