Since its creation in 2012, the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) has ensured the development and maintenance of a nationwide mobile broadband network to meet the unique and growing needs of public safety. The FirstNet Authority Roadmap (Roadmap) is critical to our ability to provide first responders with a differentiated network experience. The Roadmap serves as a guide, directing our programs, activities, and investments focused on enhancing the FirstNet network.

First released in 2019 and updated in 2020, the Roadmap is a living document that evolves alongside the needs of public safety. Those needs have shifted in significant ways over the past three years, and as a result, we have updated the Roadmap again to align our efforts with the evolving needs of first responders. The 2023 Roadmap is driven by feedback from public safety and will help us shape the future of FirstNet.

2023 Roadmap update

The world changed in 2020. The pandemic upended all aspects of society, especially public safety. Responder operations and technology were pushed to evolve much faster than expected as agencies worked quickly to find solutions to challenges they hadn’t previously anticipated.

For example, Emergency Communications Centers (ECCs) struggled to keep their employees safe and the ECC fully staffed. ECC leaders had to be innovative, exploring ways to transition call-taking and dispatching capabilities to remote operations. The pandemic shifted the way public safety approaches technology. As a result, agencies now rely on broadband data and voice services more than ever before. 

Public safety’s increasing reliance on broadband, coupled with advances in the FirstNet network buildout, led the FirstNet Authority to evaluate the priorities and focus areas from the 2020 Roadmap to ensure they aligned with the evolving needs of public safety.

We used a comprehensive data-driven approach to shape the 2023 Roadmap goals and priorities. We gathered data from interviews with public safety technology decision-makers; a technology impact prioritization survey of first responders; engagements with stakeholders, including focus groups and one-on-one discussions; and relevant publications on public safety technology and communications trends.

The team concluded that strong progress has been made on the priorities from the 2019 and 2020 Roadmaps. However, we recognize there is more work to be done, and we understand the need to evolve our focus to support public safety’s ongoing operational needs.

To best accomplish those goals, the 2023 Roadmap is focused on efforts that impact public safety in three main areas: ensuring the network remains dependable, connecting responders to each other and the critical information they need, and enhancing the network so public safety can operationalize advanced technologies.

Roadmap goals and priorities

During research for the 2023 Roadmap, the FirstNet Authority team repeatedly heard responders say one thing: ‘I need it to work,’ with the ‘it’ referring to the network, specific technology, or capability being discussed. Responders need to have confidence that the technology will work at the exact moment and place that helps them carry out their duties. They don’t want to think about how the tech works.

We identified three key focus areas in the 2023 Roadmap in which we can ensure solutions work for first responders:

• Dependable Network: Moving past the initial phase of our contract with AT&T, the FirstNet Authority is committed to ensuring public safety has a network that works for them, when and where they need it. We will continue to evolve the network to ensure reliable indoor and outdoor connectivity through comprehensive coverage solutions and upgrading the foundational core to enable advanced technologies.
• Connected Responders: Communication and access to real-time information is critical to public safety operations to support incident response. Therefore, we will focus on enabling critical features and solutions that allow the transfer of and access to regular and mission-critical data between responders, agencies, and jurisdictions.
• Operationalizing Advanced Technology: The FirstNet Authority strives to support public safety where they are now, but also seeks to explore capabilities ahead of responders’ needs. We will focus on how we can influence evolving technologies and empower public safety to transform operations using those technologies.

Driven by public safety

The Roadmap has always been built around critical input from first responders. This is a vital document that helps us focus our investments, programs, and activities in areas that are important to responders in the field, today and into the future.

We extend our gratitude to the stakeholders who participated in this process, and we look forward to continuing to partner with the public safety and technology communities to advance public safety communications.