The United States on Thursday awarded a contract to AT&T Inc to build a nationwide wireless broadband network to better equip first responders, years after a federal commission recommended setting up such a system following the 9/11 attacks.
FirstNet, an independent arm of the Department of Commerce, will provide No. 2 U.S. wireless carrier AT&T with telecom spectrum and success-based payments of $6.5 billion over the next five years.
The effort to set up a public safety network was triggered by communications failures during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, when first responders were unable to effectively communicate as they used different technologies and networks.