HR7386-119

What This Bill Does

The First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026 updates the federal framework for FirstNet, the nationwide public safety broadband network. It extends the First Responder Network Authority termination date to September 30, 2037 and changes the required sunset report into a termination-preparation report that must include recommendations for Congress and NTIA on FirstNet contract expiration.

The bill shifts FirstNet from an independent-authority model toward stronger NTIA oversight. FirstNet actions are subject to NTIA approval, although the reported version allows specified actions without prior approval, including emergency response deployments, strategic planning, annual budget development, network reinvestment recommendations, and personnel decisions. The bill changes board composition by requiring at least five state, local, or tribal public safety professionals after three years and staggering terms to avoid too many simultaneous vacancies.

It creates a career Senior Executive Service Associate Administrator nominated by the board and appointed by the Assistant Secretary, with duties to manage FirstNet staff and operations and serve as liaison to NTIA. It modernizes the network-components description to cover secure, interoperable, resilient, prioritized broadband communications. It adds flexible fee-period language, annual reports on cyberattacks, cyber defense, outages, and adoption rates, annual briefings to House and Senate commerce committees, business continuity and disaster-recovery plan requirements for the FirstNet contractor, 30-minute outage notifications, network status tools for user agencies, contract submission to congressional committees on request, and definitions for FirstNet contractor and interoperability.

Who Benefits and How

Public safety agencies using FirstNet benefit from clearer outage notifications, network status tools, cyberattack reporting, and required disaster-recovery planning. First responders benefit if the network remains available and resilient during emergencies and natural disasters. State public safety professionals, local public safety professionals, and tribal public safety professionals benefit from guaranteed board representation. Congressional commerce committees benefit from annual reports, briefings, and access to FirstNet contracts on request. NTIA oversight staff benefit from clearer approval authority over FirstNet actions.

Who Bears the Burden and How

The FirstNet contractor must prepare recurring business continuity and disaster-recovery plans, notify FirstNet within 30 minutes of confirmed outages, and provide network status tools to user agencies. FirstNet board members must manage new representation, review contractor plans, and operate under NTIA approval rules. NTIA oversight staff must approve or reject business continuity plans, review FirstNet actions, conduct Associate Administrator performance reviews, and submit annual reports and briefings. FirstNet staff must support contract submissions, outage coordination, fee-period flexibility, and interoperability implementation. Public safety agencies using the network must track outage tools and adjust operational planning around network status information.

Key Provisions

• Extends First Responder Network Authority operations through September 30, 2037.
• Requires termination-preparation recommendations for Congress and NTIA.
• Subjects FirstNet actions to NTIA approval while preserving emergency and planning carveouts.
• Requires at least five state, local, or tribal public safety professionals on the FirstNet board.
• Creates a Senior Executive Service Associate Administrator for FirstNet operations and NTIA liaison duties.
• Updates the nationwide public safety broadband network to emphasize secure, interoperable, resilient, and prioritized communications.
• Provides flexibility in fee-period calculations.
• Requires annual congressional reports on cybersecurity, outages, contractor performance, and adoption rates.
• Requires annual NTIA briefings to House and Senate commerce committees.
• Requires contractor disaster-recovery plans and 30-minute outage notifications.
• Requires contract submission to congressional committees on written request.
• Defines FirstNet contractor and interoperability.