FirstNet misses Nov. 1 award deadline

The $6 billion First Responder Network Authority missed the Nov. 1 deadline for the contract pertaining to its nationwide broadband public safety network.

The First Responder Network Authority missed the Nov. 1 deadline for the contract pertaining to its nationwide broadband public safety network.

The authority’s CEO, Mike Poth, did not specify a future deadline, but did say that FirstNet officials were moving closer to a contract award in accordance with the Federal Acquisition Regulation, FCW reported.

The authority was created by the 2012 Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act to manage a nationwide public safety network and create an interoperable communications platform.

The lead vendor under the FirstNet contract will lead the effort to build the nationwide network in the LTE bandwidth and offer connectivity to public safety officials, including police, fire, rescue and other first responders.

Deltek estimates the value of the contract at $6.5 billion over 25 years.