First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026

The bill would extend the FirstNet Authority's operating authority to September 30, 2037, and would end its status as an independent agency, instead placing it under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), whose approval would be required for most Authority actions except a specified list of day-to-day functions. It would create a new Associate Administrator position to run operations, require the Authority's board to include at least five public safety professionals within three years, and require staggered board terms. It would also require the FirstNet contractor to report network outages within 30 minutes, provide an outage-status tool, and submit a business continuity and disaster recovery plan every five years. The bill would further require NTIA to brief Congress annually on FirstNet activities and submit yearly reports on cybersecurity incidents and network adoption rates, and would require the Government Accountability Office to report within seven years on what Congress should do as the Authority's 2037 termination approaches. It does not change the underlying network's mission or funding fee structure beyond adding scheduling flexibility.

The FirstNet Authority and its board, the NTIA and its Assistant Secretary, the FirstNet contractor (currently AT&T) that builds and operates the network, and the federal, state, local, and tribal first responders and public safety agencies that rely on the nationwide public safety broadband network for communications.

First responders who depend on FirstNet for emergency communications would benefit from faster outage reporting and mandated disaster-recovery planning by the network's operator. Congress and NTIA would gain closer oversight and more frequent reporting on the Authority's performance, cybersecurity, and adoption rates, while the Authority itself would lose independent decision-making authority over most of its actions.

NTIA would gain approval authority over most Authority actions, with a list of exceptions (emergency deployment, strategic planning, budgeting, etc.) that the Authority can still do unilaterally; NTIA must act on network reinvestment recommendations within 60 days. A new career-appointee Associate Administrator, chosen by NTIA's Assistant Secretary from board nominees, would run daily operations and undergo annual performance review. The FirstNet contractor would face outage-reporting deadlines, five-year disaster-recovery plan cycles requiring NTIA approval within 180 days, and mandatory contract disclosure to Congress within 7 days of a committee leadership request. NTIA must deliver annual reports and briefings to congressional committees on cybersecurity, adoption, and general activities.