The First Responder Network Authority Board has cleared a $684 million budget for fiscal year 2025 that would fund operations and improvements to the nationwide wireless broadband network for public safety professionals.
FirstNet said Monday the budget package, called Resolution 118, includes $535 million for network enhancements, $100.2 million for the authority’s FY 2025 operations and another $50 million for reserves.
“The FirstNet Authority is focused on evolving and enhancing FirstNet, so it meets the needs of public safety now and in the future,” said Richard Carrizzo, chair of the FirstNet Authority Board.
“This budget will enable our team to continue to engage with and advocate for the nation’s public safety community and advance communications for first responders nationwide,” Carrizzo added.
The board approved the budget package during its meeting on Monday in Chicago.
Public Safety Broadband Network Expansion
In February, the FirstNet Authority and AT&T launched a 10-year, $8 billion initiative to further develop and expand FirstNet, the country’s public safety broadband network.
Under the investment effort, the two parties will deliver always-on priority and preemption capabilities across 5G to first responders, build 1,000 new FirstNet cell sites within the next two years, establish a standalone 5G core to improve 5G functionality and support the move of the Band 14 spectrum to 5G.
More than 28,000 public safety agencies and organizations in the U.S. use the FirstNet network.
The FirstNet Authority has invested in upgrades to advance 5G capabilities and expand the fleet of deployable assets in support of the public safety community.