The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) is a federal agency that includes private sector and other non-federal representation on its board of directors. FirstNet was created by Congress with provisions in Title VI (Spectrum Act) of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 ( P.L. 112-96 ) to ensure the deployment and operation of a nationwide, broadband network for public safety communications. It is established as an "independent authority" within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), part of the Department of Commerce. In addition to establishing the structure and goals for FirstNet, Congress provided $7 billion for costs related to planning and deploying the broadband network, and a $135 million grant program to assist states with plans to connect to FirstNet's broadband network. These funds are provided from revenue realized through auctioning licenses for radio frequency spectrum, as designated in the act. The anticipated cost of building and operating a nationwide core broadband network—and the interoperable radio networks that connect to it—is significantly in excess of the amount appropriated. The act therefore provides for public-private partnerships with FirstNet or with states, and for fees (charged to states and other users) to ensure that FirstNet becomes self-sustaining. To attract private sector partners, FirstNet can offer access to its assets, including radio frequency spectrum capacity, in return for financial payment or other support. FirstNet holds a license for 20 MHz of broadband spectrum, assigned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), as required by the act. The act allows states that meet specified requirements to lease spectrum from FirstNet and thereby negotiate their own partnerships that share spectrum in Radio Area Networks for their state or region. The act requires that FirstNet deploy its network using the fourth-generation wireless technologies of Long Term Evolution (LTE). LTE is a powerful cellular technology with industry standards that are consistently being upgraded to expand its capabilities. LTE is also a platform for commercial carrier-expansion into fifth-generation (5G) wireless communications and the Internet of Things. There are many challenges for public safety leaders and policymakers in establishing the framework for a nationwide network that meets state, local, tribal, and territorial needs for robust, interoperable emergency communications. Currently, for example, state emergency communications needs are typically met by separate networks using different technologies. Furthermore, each state has its own laws and procedures for building, managing, and funding communications infrastructure. Among the challenges facing FirstNet is establishing a governance model that accommodates current investments and future needs of its clients without compromising the coherence of a national network. FirstNet officials face enormous pressure to produce a functional network in a timely manner, reflecting widespread concerns that public safety communications will not be adequate for response and recovery if a catastrophic national emergency occurs. Among the timelines that the winning bidder must meet is geographical coverage for 95% of the country within six months of receiving the contract. This obligation suggests that participation of one of the four nationwide carriers (Verizon, AT&T, Sprint, T-Mobile) to carry FirstNet traffic will be essential, even if the carrier acts as a subcontractor and not a lead partner. Agreements with rural carriers may also be used to meet rural coverage goals. The winning contractor must guarantee priority access to public safety on the 20 MHz of spectrum capacity that FirstNet brings to the table. The requirements for buildout using FirstNet spectrum (referred to as Band 14) are 20% coverage of population within the first year of operation and 60% coverage within two years. Also within six months, the winning contractor is expected to submit simultaneously to 56 states and territories, as required by the act, a plan for how FirstNet would be deployed within that state or territory (tribal areas are covered in state plans). FirstNet will make available $6.5 billion of its federal funding for the buildout. The bidder must indicate the cost of each state's buildout within the context of its cost model. States that successfully meet the criteria to build their own network within FirstNet will be eligible for a proportionate share of the $6.5 billion, provided in the form of a grant. The total cost to build out the network is estimated by most experts to be in excess of $30 billion over 10 years. The successful bidder will sign a contract for 25 years, expiring in FY2042. Annual payments totaling at least $5.625 billion over the period of the contract are required as a guarantee that FirstNet will be financially self-sustaining. On October 17, 2016, two of the bidders—Rivada Mercury and pdvWireless—were informed by the U.S. government that their proposals had been eliminated from consideration. This leaves AT&T as the one publically known bidder still in consideration. On November 21, 2016, Rivada Mercury filed a lawsuit against the U.S. government in the U.S. Court of Appeals of Federal Claims over what Rivada says is the illegal and wrongful exclusion of the consortium from the FirstNet procurement process. The lawsuit is expected to delay the contract award until March 1, 2017, at the earliest, although further delays are possible depending on the resolution of the lawsuit. Achievements since the FirstNet board first met officially in September 2012 include a number of Requests for Information (RFI), notably the September 2014 Request for Information for Comprehensive Network Solution(s). This document proposed a comprehensive broadband network solution for FirstNet that would reach from core network management requirements to include local area networks in many communities, as well as some devices used to access the network. A Second Notice , issued by the Department of Commerce for comment on March 9, 2015, provided FirstNet's perspective on the intent of Congress in enacting language that allows states to build their own networks. The discussion in the Second Notice also supplemented the Public Notice on Statutory Interpretations , issued in September 2014. A number of important issues are raised in these formal statements of proposed interpretation, including possible definitions of "public safety" and "rural." A third public notice concerning the definition of "public safety" was released after a FirstNet board meeting on April 24, 2015. Also on April 24, the proposed acquisition approach and the draft Request for Proposal(s) (RFP) were considered in a closed meeting. The draft RFP builds on proposals from previous notices and RFIs. The planning process for 2015-2016 centered on circulating the draft Request for Proposal(s) and a final RFP. FirstNet concluded that the contract or contracts would be awarded through the Federal Acquisition Regulation (FAR) process. According to FirstNet, "key goals are to meet the needs of public safety and to provide extensive coverage so Federal subscribers and other public safety users can count on the network when they are on the job." Network coverage includes deployable units, such as vehicles equipped to connect with the network, and local area networks operated by FirstNet. "Incident commanders and officials will have local control over the network so, for example, they can assign users and talk groups and determine who can access applications." The underlying premise of the strategy is that the chosen network solutions will allow FirstNet to "control and operate" national and regional core network infrastructure, Radio Access Networks (RANs) in states that opt in, as well as devices, applications, and other functions. To achieve this level of coverage, FirstNet's "acquisition strategy centers on maximizing the network's value to public safety while meeting its financial sustainability obligations under the Act." Although many details have not been made public, the general architecture of FirstNet's broadband network has been presented at numerous public events and is available on the FirstNet website. The network design shows what is referred to as a heterogeneous network, or HetNet. It depicts the Radio Access Network to include both macro and micro networks. In simple terms, high towers with base stations, known as eNodeB in LTE network design, are referred to by the wireless industry as a macro network; a variety of small cell network designs are referred to as micro networks. The macro network is often described as providing coverage over distance and the micro network as providing capacity as well as extra coverage at the local level. The trend in the evolution of network coverage is depicted in Figure 1 . In this configuration, the micro network has become the predominate provider of mobile communications coverage and capacity through contiguous small cell networks. The tower of the macro network (eNodeB) assures nationwide connectivity and provides additional coverage. Small cell networks are by and large autonomous, providing coverage for their area and connecting to other small cell networks or cellular towers when needed. These micro networks are local in nature but fully interoperable across wide geographic areas. For FirstNet, a network strategy that shifts the majority of routine, public safety mobile communications onto shared spectrum in small cell networks will free much of the 20 MHz spectrum license for secondary use by commercial carriers. Only in times of a major emergency would public safety users make heavy demands on the macro network and spectrum licensed to FirstNet. In an LTE network, it is the eNodeB macro coverage infrastructure—not the micro network—that requires a significant spectrum assignment to operate efficiently. During the period 2011-2012, when the Spectrum Act was drafted and enacted, the Radio Area Network would have consisted primarily of high-site towers with base stations (eNodeB). Since the Spectrum Act was passed, communications technologies have evolved in ways not fully anticipated at the time. Congress, therefore, may have assumed that a state with a successful plan to opt out and create its own public-private partnership would be granted a statewide license for 20 MHz to operate a Radio Area Network using eNodeB towers and base stations. Micro networks, however, can operate within the 20 MHz assignment, essentially sharing the spectrum, but may require no more than 1.5 x 1.5 MHz for a basic LTE network.