Dear Stakeholder:

We are reaching out to notify your organization that the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) released a Federal Register Notice requesting submissions for one seat on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) Board.  A member of the Board is resigning this week, so the Secretary of Commerce will be appointing an individual to complete that existing term through September 2024.  The appointment is likely to occur in the last quarter of 2023.

The Board, established as part of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (Act), oversees and guides the operation, maintenance, and improvement of the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN).  The FirstNet Authority Board is composed of 15 voting members, and the Act names the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General of the United States, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget as permanent members of the Board.  The Secretary of Commerce appoints the 12 non-permanent members of the FirstNet Board.  The Act requires that the Board include:

No fewer than three members representing a State, local, tribal or territorial government;

No fewer than three members must be public safety professionals (i.e., law enforcement, fire service, or emergency medical response); and

Members must possess public safety, technical, network, and/or financial experience

The Act also recommends representation from a geographic cross-section of the United States including rural and urban jurisdictions.  NTIA facilitates the recruitment and vetting of candidates to help ensure that the statutory composition of the Board is maintained as members are appointed by the Secretary of Commerce.

Interested candidates must respond to the Notice by April 27, 2023.  We hope that you will consider if there are individuals within your organization's membership who may possess the appropriate attributes and may want to be considered as potential Board candidates.  As noted above, NTIA will seek a diverse candidate pool that will collectively represent the interests of public safety and industry.  Thank you for your assistance.

For more information about the Board visit https://firstnet.gov/about/board.

Best,

Mike

Michael E. Dame
Office of Public Safety Communications
NTIA
U.S. Department of Commerce
202-815-3215
mdame@ntia.gov