AT&T on cusp of $6.5B First Net award

AT&T apparently is the last one standing in the competition for a $6.5 billion contract to build a nationwide first responder network.

Known as First Net, the contract is a federal government effort to create a high-speed nationwide network just for public safety. The project has been in the works since 2012 but one hurdle remains – a pre-award protest by another bidder which has been eliminated from the competition.

Rivada Mercury filed a lawsuit in November with the Court of Federal Claims protesting that it had been removed from the competition.

A second company, pdv Wireless said in October that it was no longer in the running. It has not filed a protest.

According to an AT&T Securities & Exchange Commission filing, the company believes it is the last remaining bidder. “AT&T is not aware of any other bidders who remain within the ‘competitive range’ of the First Responder Network procurement,’” the company wrote in a Dec. 2 filing.

Speaking at a March 1 AFCEA DC event, T.J. Kennedy, president of the First Responder Network Authority, said protest is the last hurdle before an award can be made. The authority is the entity created by the government to manage First Net.

Kennedy didn't mention AT&T in his remarks as reported by FCW.com.