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Press Releases

Headshots of six new FirstNet Board Members and the words "FirstNet Board Appointments"

U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross announced the appointment of six individuals to serve on the Board of the First Responder Network Authority, including five new members. The following are statements on today’s announcement from the FirstNet Board Chair, Edward Horowitz, and the six appointees.

An AT&T SatCOLT is set up among damage from Hurricane Michael
More than 3,600 public safety agencies across the country have now joined FirstNet. That’s a nearly 50% increase in the number of agencies subscribing to the nationwide public safety communications platform in less than 2 months.
Headshot of Edward Parkinson; a cell tower

The First Responder Network Authority and the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced today that Edward Parkinson will serve as Acting Chief Executive Officer, following the recent resignation of Mike Poth, who had served as CEO since 2015.

A firefighter riding in a helicopter speaks into a headset while looking down at a tablet with information

More than 2,500 public safety agencies across the country have joined FirstNet. This is nearly double the number of agencies since the last update in July.

On left, headshot of Sheriff Richard Stanek in uniform, on right, a hand holds a FirstNet device with an app on it

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) announced today that Chair Edward Horowitz has named Sheriff Richard W. Stanek to be Vice Chair of the Board, effective immediately. Appointed to the FirstNet Board in 2014, Sheriff Stanek has served on the Board’s Public Safety Advocacy Committee, where he has helped strengthen relationships with the Nation’s law enforcement community