(1) in section 6204(a), by striking ‘‘as an inde-
pendent authority’’; and 
(2) in section 6206— 
(A) by redesignating subsections (d), (e), 
(f), and (g) as subsections (e), (f), (g), and (h), 
respectively; 
(B) by inserting after subsection (c) the 
following: 
‘‘(d) ACTIONS SUBJECT TO APPROVAL OF NTIA.— 
‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—Any action taken by the 
First Responder Network Authority shall be subject 
to the approval of the NTIA. 
‘‘(2) MANNER OF APPROVAL.— 
‘‘(A) IN
GENERAL.—Not later than 180 
days after the date of the enactment of this 
subsection, the NTIA shall, after providing an 
opportunity for public comment, develop a list 
of actions that do not require prior approval by 
the NTIA before the First Responder Network 
Authority may take such an action. The First 
Responder Network Authority may not take an 
action that, at the time when such action is 
taken, is not on such list, unless the NTIA has 
provided prior approval for such action. 
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‘‘(B) RULE OF CONSTRUCTION.—Nothing 
in subparagraph (A) may be construed to alter 
the requirement of subsection (c) of section 
6208 that fees may only be assessed under such 
section if approved by the NTIA.’’; and 
(C) in subsection (h) (as so redesignated), 
by striking ‘‘subsection (f)’’ and inserting ‘‘sub-
section (g)’’. 
(b) CONFORMING AMENDMENT.—Section 6205(b)(2) 
of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 
2012 (47 U.S.C. 1425(b)(2)) is amended by striking ‘‘If’’ 
and inserting ‘‘Subject to section 6206(d), if’’. 
(c) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made by this 
section shall apply with respect to actions taken by the 
First Responder Network Authority on or after the date 
on which the list required by subsection (d)(2) of section 
6206 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation 
Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1426), as amended by this Act, 
is developed. 
SEC. 4. BOARD OF FIRST RESPONDER NETWORK AUTHOR-
ITY. 
(a) 
PUBLIC
SAFETY
PROFESSIONALS.—Section 
6204(b)(2)(A) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 
Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1424(b)(2)(A)) is 
amended by amending clause (iv) to read as follows: 
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‘‘(iv) ensure that, on and after the 
date that is 3 years after the date of the 
enactment of the First Responder Network 
Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026, the 
Board includes not fewer than 5 individ-
uals who have served as public safety pro-
fessionals.’’. 
(b) STAGGERED TERMS.— 
(1) IN
GENERAL.—Section 6204(c)(2) of the 
Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 
2012 (47 U.S.C. 1424(c)(2)) is amended— 
(A) in subparagraph (A)(ii), by striking ‘‘3 
years’’ and inserting ‘‘not more than 3 years’’; 
and 
(B) by striking subparagraph (D). 
(2) APPLICABILITY.—The amendments made 
by this subsection shall apply with respect to ap-
pointments made on or after the date of the enact-
ment of this Act. 
SEC. 5. ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR. 
(a) IN GENERAL.—Section 6204 of the Middle Class 
Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 
1424) is amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(h) ASSOCIATE ADMINISTRATOR.— 
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‘‘(1) IN GENERAL.—The First Responder Net-
work Authority shall have an Associate Adminis-
trator, which shall be a position in the Senior Execu-
tive Service and who shall be appointed by the As-
sistant Secretary. 
‘‘(2) DUTIES.—The Associate Administrator 
shall do the following: 
‘‘(A) Subject to the direction of the Board 
and approval by the NTIA under section 
6206(d), manage the staff and operations of the 
First Responder Network Authority in order to 
ensure that the duties and responsibilities of 
the First Responder Network Authority are car-
ried out. 
‘‘(B) Serve as a liaison between the First 
Responder Network Authority and the NTIA, 
including with respect to ensuring compliance 
by the First Responder Network Authority with 
section 6206(d). 
‘‘(3) ANNUAL
PERFORMANCE
REVIEWS.—The 
NTIA, in consultation with the Chair of the Board 
and any committee of the Board relating to govern-
ance and risk, shall conduct an annual performance 
review of the Associate Administrator.’’. 
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(b) CONTINUATION IN OFFICE.—The individual serv-
ing as the Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer 
of the First Responder Network Authority on the day be-
fore the date of the enactment of this Act may serve as 
the Associate Administrator under subsection (h) of sec-
tion 6204 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation 
Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1424), as added by subsection 
(a), on and after such date of enactment without the need 
for appointment under such subsection (h). 
SEC. 6. COMPONENTS OF NATIONWIDE PUBLIC SAFETY 
BROADBAND NETWORK. 
Section 6202(b) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and 
Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1422(b)) is amend-
ed, in the matter preceding paragraph (1), by striking 
‘‘and initially consists of’’ and inserting ‘‘and consists of 
such technologies, spectrum bands, and services as nec-
essary to enable secure, interoperable, resilient, and 
prioritized broadband communications for public safety 
entities, including’’. 
SEC. 7. FLEXIBILITY IN ESTABLISHING FEE AMOUNTS. 
Section 6208(b) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and 
Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1428(b)) is amend-
ed— 
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(1) by inserting ‘‘(or other period specified by 
the First Responder Network Authority)’’ after ‘‘for 
each fiscal year’’; and 
(2) by striking ‘‘the fiscal year involved’’ and 
inserting ‘‘such fiscal year (or other period)’’. 
SEC. 8. REPORTS TO CONGRESS ON FIRST RESPONDER 
NETWORK AUTHORITY. 
(a) ADDITIONAL MATTERS TO BE INCLUDED
IN 
FIRST RESPONDER NETWORK AUTHORITY AUDIT RE-
PORT.—Section 6209(b)(2) of the Middle Class Tax Relief 
and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1429(b)(2)) is 
amended— 
(1) in subparagraph (B), by striking ‘‘; and’’ 
and inserting a semicolon; 
(2) in subparagraph (C), by striking the period 
at the end and inserting ‘‘; and’’; and 
(3) by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘(D) an evaluation of the performance of 
the FirstNet contractor under the contract in 
building, operating, and maintaining the nation-
wide public safety broadband network.’’. 
(b) ANNUAL REPORTS TO CONGRESS.—Subtitle B of 
title VI of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation 
Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.), as amended by the 
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preceding provisions of this Act, is further amended by 
adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 6214. ANNUAL REPORTS ON FIRST RESPONDER NET-
WORK AUTHORITY. 
‘‘(a) REPORT ON CYBERSECURITY MATTERS.—The 
NTIA shall submit to Congress an annual report that in-
cludes information on cyberattacks, outages, and cyber de-
fense efforts with respect to the nationwide public safety 
broadband network. Each such annual report shall be sub-
mitted in unclassified form, but may contain a classified 
annex. 
‘‘(b) REPORT
ON ADOPTION RATES.—The NTIA 
shall submit to Congress an annual report on adoption 
rates, by profession and geographic area, with respect to 
the nationwide public safety broadband network.’’. 
(c) ANNUAL BRIEFING.—Subtitle B of title VI of the 
Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 
(47 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.), as amended by the preceding 
provisions of this Act, is further amended by adding at 
the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 6215. ANNUAL BRIEFINGS ON FIRST RESPONDER 
NETWORK AUTHORITY. 
‘‘Not later than 1 year after the date of the enact-
ment of this section, and annually thereafter, the NTIA 
shall provide to the Committee on Energy and Commerce 
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of the House of Representatives and the Committee on 
Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a 
briefing on activities with respect to the First Responder 
Network Authority.’’. 
SEC. 9. BUSINESS CONTINUITY AND DISASTER RECOVERY 
PLAN. 
Subtitle B of title VI of the Middle Class Tax Relief 
and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.), 
as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 6216. BUSINESS CONTINUITY AND DISASTER RECOV-
ERY PLAN. 
‘‘(a) IN GENERAL.—Not later than 180 days after 
the date of the enactment of this section, and every 5 
years thereafter, the FirstNet contractor shall submit to 
the NTIA for approval a business continuity and disaster 
recovery plan to ensure rapid restoration of the nationwide 
public safety broadband network following an outage re-
sulting from a natural disaster or other emergency. 
‘‘(b) TIMING OF APPROVAL OR REQUEST FOR RE-
SUBMISSION.—Not later than 180 days after the date on 
which the NTIA receives a plan submitted under this sec-
tion, the NTIA shall— 
‘‘(1) approve such plan; or 
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‘‘(2) provide to the FirstNet contractor a writ-
ten notice of— 
‘‘(A) the reasoning for not approving such 
plan; and 
‘‘(B) the timeframe and process, as deter-
mined by the NTIA, for resubmitting such plan 
for approval.’’. 
SEC. 10. OUTAGE NOTIFICATIONS. 
Subtitle B of title VI of the Middle Class Tax Relief 
and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.), 
as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 6217. OUTAGE NOTIFICATIONS. 
‘‘In the case of any outage with respect to the nation-
wide public safety broadband network— 
‘‘(1) as soon as practicable, but not later than 
30 minutes, after the FirstNet contractor has con-
firmed such outage, the FirstNet contractor shall 
notify the First Responder Network Authority of 
such outage; 
‘‘(2) the FirstNet contractor shall provide to 
the departments and agencies that use such network 
a network status tool that provides timely informa-
tion on such outage; and 
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‘‘(3) after receiving a notification under para-
graph (1), the First Responder Network Authority 
shall report such outage for purposes of the— 
‘‘(A) Network Outage Reporting System of 
the Federal Communications Commission; and 
‘‘(B) Disaster Information Reporting Sys-
tem of the Federal Communications Commis-
sion.’’. 
SEC. 11. SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS OF FIRSTNET CON-
TRACT. 
Subtitle B of title VI of the Middle Class Tax Relief 
and Job Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1421 et seq.), 
as amended by the preceding provisions of this Act, is fur-
ther amended by adding at the end the following: 
‘‘SEC. 6218. SUBMISSION TO CONGRESS OF FIRSTNET CON-
TRACT. 
‘‘Not later than 7 days after receiving a request, in 
writing, from the Chair and Ranking Member of the Com-
mittee on Energy and Commerce of the House of Rep-
resentatives, or from the Chair and Ranking Member of 
the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation 
of the Senate, the First Responder Network Authority 
shall submit to such Committee any contract between the 
First Responder Network Authority and the FirstNet con-
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tractor with respect to building, operating, or maintaining 
the nationwide public safety broadband network.’’. 
SEC. 12. DEFINITIONS. 
Section 6001 of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 
Creation Act of 2012 (47 U.S.C. 1401) is amended— 
(1) by redesignating paragraphs (19) through 
(33) as paragraphs (21) through (35), respectively; 
(2) by redesignating paragraphs (15) through 
(18) as paragraphs (16) through (19), respectively; 
(3) by inserting after paragraph (14) the fol-
lowing: 
‘‘(15) 
FIRSTNET
CONTRACTOR.—The 
term 
‘FirstNet contractor’ means the entity that, under 
contract with the First Responder Network Author-
ity, builds, operates, and maintains the nationwide 
public safety broadband network.’’; and 
(4) by inserting after paragraph (19) (as so re-
designated) the following: 
‘‘(20) INTEROPERABLE; INTEROPERABILITY.— 
The terms ‘interoperable’ and ‘interoperability’ mean 
ensuring, and the ensuring of, respectively, commu-
nications for public safety entities between networks, 
providers of commercial mobile service and commer-
cial mobile data service, and jurisdictions through 
the use of commercial standards for mission-critical 
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services, quality of service, and priority mecha-
nisms.’’. 
Æ 
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