First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026

Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 533.

2026-04-15

<p><strong>First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026</strong></p><p>This bill extends through FY2037 and modifies the management of the First Responder Network (FirstNet) Authority. (The FirstNet Authority oversees the development and operation of FirstNet, a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for first responders.) The bill also requires certain actions of the entity operating FirstNet.&nbsp;</p><p>Currently, the FirstNet Authority is an independent agency within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). The bill removes&nbsp;the FirstNet Authority’s independent status and establishes an associate administrator in the NTIA to manage the FirstNet Authority’s&nbsp;operations. The FirstNet Authority’s actions must be subject to NTIA approval, with exceptions established by the NTIA. The FirstNet Authority’s Board must&nbsp;include at least five (currently, three) individuals who have served as public safety professionals.</p><p>The entity contracted to develop and operate FirstNet (currently AT&amp;T) must notify the FirstNet Authority within 30 minutes of any network outage and provide users with a network status tool to monitor outages. Every five years, such entity must submit to the NTIA for approval a business continuity and disaster recovery plan to ensure rapid restoration of the network following disaster-caused outages. Annual audits of the FirstNet Authority must include an evaluation of such entity’s performance.</p><p>The&nbsp;NTIA must brief Congress annually regarding FirstNet and provide annual reports relating to cybersecurity and network adoption rates.&nbsp;</p><p>Within seven years after the bill’s enactment, the Government Accountability Office must report on what action Congress should take regarding the termination of&nbsp;the FirstNet Authority in 2037.</p>