H.R. 7386 — First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026

This section establishes the short title of the Act as the "First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026" and sets forth the table of contents.

This section reauthorizes the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)—which builds, deploys, and operates a nationwide public safety broadband network for first responders—through September 30, 2037 (from the date that is 15 years after enactment of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012). It further revises the required report from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to Congress on FirstNet by (1) changing the due date to not later than 7 years after enactment of the First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026 (from not later than 10 years after enactment of the 2012 Act), (2) replacing references to the "15-year sunset" with "termination," and (3) requiring recommendations for Congress and NTIA on preparations for the expiration of any contract between FirstNet and its contractor for building, operating, or maintaining the network.

This section eliminates the independent authority status of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)—which manages the nationwide public safety broadband network for first responders' voice, video, and data communications—and subjects most FirstNet actions to approval by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). It requires NTIA prior approval for all FirstNet actions except specified ones (e.g., deploying to emergencies, setting strategic priorities, adopting annual budgets, managing the device ecosystem, and reporting to Congress), while preserving NTIA approval requirements for user fees; additionally, it requires NTIA to act within 60 days on FirstNet's written recommendations for network reinvestment decisions and task orders. The amendments apply to FirstNet actions and NTIA-received recommendations on or after the date of enactment.

This section modifies the composition and terms of the Board of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet), which oversees the nationwide public safety broadband network established in 2012. Specifically, it (1) requires the board, on and after three years after enactment of the First Responder Network Authority Reauthorization Act of 2026, to include not fewer than five state, local, or tribal public safety professionals in fire response, emergency medical, emergency management, law enforcement, or 9-1-1 services; and (2) revises board member terms to not more than three years (from three years) and directs the Secretary of Commerce to stagger terms of appointees under specified provisions to reduce the likelihood that more than four expire simultaneously, with such changes applying to appointments made on or after enactment.

This section establishes an Associate Administrator position for the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)—the entity that builds and operates a nationwide broadband network for public safety answering points and first responders—as a career Senior Executive Service appointee selected by the Assistant Secretary from among three individuals nominated by the FirstNet Board using applicable merit procedures. The Associate Administrator manages FirstNet staff and operations (subject to Board direction and Assistant Secretary approval under section 6206(d)), serves as liaison between the Board and Assistant Secretary (including for compliance with section 6206(d)), and is subject to annual performance reviews by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) in consultation with the Board chair and governance/risk committee. The individual serving as FirstNet Executive Director and CEO immediately before enactment may continue as Associate Administrator without reappointment.

This section revises the components of the nationwide public safety broadband network by striking the requirement that the network initially consist of specified elements and instead requiring it to consist of technologies and services necessary to enable secure, interoperable, resilient, and prioritized broadband communications for public safety entities (i.e., the FirstNet network).

This section modifies the fee-setting authority of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)—which operates the nationwide public safety broadband network—to allow establishment of fees for fiscal years or other periods specified by FirstNet.

This section requires additional reporting and briefings on the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet)—which builds, deploys, and operates a nationwide public safety broadband network for first responders—as follows: (1) amends the existing annual audit report to include an evaluation of FirstNet's contractor performance in building, operating, and maintaining the network; (2) directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to submit annual unclassified reports to Congress (with optional classified annexes), one on network cyberattacks, cyber defenses, and unscheduled outages and another on network adoption rates by profession and geographic area (each including an optional Board statement); and (3) directs NTIA to provide annual briefings to the House Energy and Commerce Committee and Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee on FirstNet activities, beginning one year after enactment (optionally including the Board Chair or designee).

This section requires the FirstNet contractor to submit to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) for approval—and to the FirstNet Board for review—a business continuity and disaster recovery plan to ensure rapid restoration of the nationwide public safety broadband network (NPSBN) following outages from natural disasters or other emergencies, with initial submission due not later than 180 days after enactment and every five years thereafter. (As background, FirstNet operates the NPSBN to provide dedicated broadband service to public safety agencies nationwide.) NTIA, in consultation with the Board, must approve the plan or issue a written notice of non-approval—with reasoning and resubmission instructions—within 180 days of receipt.

This section requires the FirstNet contractor, in the event of any unscheduled service outage on the nationwide public safety broadband network, (1) to notify the First Responder Network Authority as soon as practicable but not later than 30 minutes after confirming the outage; and (2) to provide departments and agencies using the network with a network status tool that offers timely information on such outages. (The nationwide public safety broadband network provides dedicated wireless communications for first responders nationwide.)

This section requires the Assistant Secretary, within 7 days of a written request from the Chair and Ranking Member of the House Committee on Energy and Commerce or the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, to submit to the requesting committee any contract between the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) and its contractor for building, operating, or maintaining the nationwide public safety broadband network. (FirstNet is an independent authority established to deploy and operate this interoperable wireless broadband network for first responders.)

This section establishes a definition for “FirstNet contractor” as the entity under contract with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) to build, operate, and maintain the nationwide public safety broadband network. (FirstNet oversees deployment of a nationwide interoperable broadband network for public safety entities such as state and local first responders.)