Rural

First responders in Pennington County, South Dakota, operate in a remote county with unique terrain. With FirstNet bringing new tower infrastructure, deployables, and a reliable network connection, deputies with the Pennington County Sheriff’s Office are able to move data and information quickly and securely.

FirstNet Authority Acting CEO Ed Parkinson spoke at the 2019 Technical & Business Conference hosted by NTCA – The Rural Broadband Association, discussing how rural network deployment will support first responders.

The Anchorage Police Department has equipped its officers with devices connected to FirstNet. With these smartphones, officers have access to a dedicated network with priority and preemption capabilities, giving them a reliable connection whenever and wherever they need it.

Serving a large, rural, remote county, the Elmore County Sheriff’s Office understands the need for reliable communications. The agency became the one of the first in the state of Idaho to join FirstNet, giving deputies the connection they need throughout the county. 

AAA Ambulance Service in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, subscribed to FirstNet to connect its 24-hour emergency and non-emergency medical transport service. FirstNet is helping the agency's EMTs seamlessly communicate while serving 1.2 million residents living across 16 counties in southern Mississippi.

The FirstNet Authority and University of Mississippi Medical Center today signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on innovation for emergency medical care and response as well as mobile broadband for rural first responders in Mississippi and nationwide.

New FirstNet subscriber, AAA Ambulance Service in Hattiesburg, MS looks to the nation’s first wireless broadband network for communications and information sharing with its medical partners across rural Mississippi.  

AT&T customers and FirstNet subscribers got a big boost in wireless connectivity last year. We increased the LTE coverage area for the AT&T network and FirstNet public safety communications platform by more than 50,000 square miles nationwide, covering an additional 1 million individuals.

When Brent Williams, Senior Emergency Medical Services (EMS) Advisor for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) enrolled in an emergency medical technician (EMT) class in the late 1970s, advances in EMS were taking off.  He pursued his growing interest in the field and signed-up for a first-of-its-kind paramedic class offered in Saginaw, MI.

In Bay, Arkansas, local law enforcement and fire agencies adopted FirstNet so they had a reliable way to communicate with each other. With interoperable communications in place, the city’s police and fire departments were able to expand service beyond the city's six square miles. Today, they serve and protect nearly 3,000 residents living within 18 square miles.