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.

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.

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

Today, the FirstNet Authority and the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration announced that U.S. Secretary of Commerce Wilbur Ross has reappointed Edward Horowitz to the FirstNet Authority Board and named him Chair of the Board for a two-year term.

The FirstNet Authority Board today approved an $81 million budget for operations in Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19), with a focus on the priority areas of public safety engagement and deployment of the nationwide public safety broadband network. The Board also gave the FirstNet Authority the green light to explore reinvestment opportunities in network enhancements and innovation for public safety.