Fischer Underscores Importance of FirstNet, Urges its Reauthorization

Link to video here.

Fischer's remarks as prepared for delivery:

Good morning to the members of this subcommittee and our witness panel.

I know Winter Storm Fern delayed this hearing and I appreciate you being here today.

This hearing will examine a critical piece of our national infrastructure - the public safety broadband network, established by the First Responder Network Authority, commonly known as FirstNet.

In communities large and small, first responders save lives every single day - often in situations where each second counts, and communication means the difference between life and death.

FirstNet was created to give them a dedicated, nationwide broadband network that is efficient, reliable, and effective - a network that stands apart from congested commercial systems and prioritizes public safety users first.

Today, with millions of connections operating across all 50 states and U.S. territories, FirstNet has become a communications lifeline for police officers, firefighters, EMS, and other first responders.

Its unique features - like priority access during emergencies - are tools that first responders increasingly depend on.

Reauthorizing the network before it sunsets next February means that Congress needs to get to work now.

Otherwise, this critical network faces uncertainty - undermining years of investment and trust with public safety.

Beyond simply extending FirstNet's legal authority, we must ask: Are we ensuring the network lives up to its promise?

Recent findings by the Commerce Department's Inspector General raise questions about weaknesses in FirstNet's oversight structure.

FirstNet was created as an independent authority within the Commerce Department to balance operational flexibility with accountability.

But the Inspector General's findings make clear that the current governing structure has not provided consistent performance oversight.

This is not a critique of the mission. It's a call to improve the function of the FirstNet Authority.

First, we need to understand how we got here.

When FirstNet was conceived in the wake of the 9/11 attacks, it was a complex undertaking - a national, mission-critical network with strict public-safety requirements; uncertain economics; and no proven business model.

AT&T was the only mobile carrier willing and able to make a bid that met those needs.

The company committed capital, technical expertise, and operational capability to build something that never existed before.

Without that bid, this network would not exist in its current form.

This is an achievement, but it should not be confused with a blank check.

In fact, the scale and importance of the public safety assets that AT&T now operates makes stronger oversight more essential, not less.

Reauthorization is not about questioning good faith.

It is about ensuring that a network built through public-private partnership continues to serve its core mission with transparency, resilience, and adaptability.

Finally, we cannot lose sight of the voice of first responders themselves.

Independent surveys show overwhelming support from first responders for reauthorizing FirstNet - not because it is perfect, but because the consequences of losing priority network access would be unthinkable.

FirstNet is more than a network. It is part of our national public safety backbone.

Reauthorization gives us the chance not to just maintain continuity, but to improve the network for those who run toward danger - so that we can all be safer.