The FirstNet Authority board unanimously approved a $684 million budget for fiscal year 2025. This approval, the earliest in the organization’s history, marks the largest annual budget dedicated to investments and enhancements for the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN).

Of the $684 million budget, $100.2 million is allocated for the organization's operations, with another $50.1 million (50% of the operating budget) held in reserve. The remaining $534 million will fund network enhancements for FirstNet, including the transition to 5G technology and efforts to expand the NPSBN’s coverage.

Traditionally, the FirstNet Authority board has approved the budget in August for the upcoming fiscal year. This year's early approval represents a significant shift in both timing and process, according to FirstNet Executive Director and CEO Joe Wassel.

“I am excited that the budget will be completed—for the first time—this early in the year,” Wassel said during the webcast board meeting. “It’s our first attempt at zero-based budgeting, which went very well and aligns with our priorities.”

One of the primary priorities is enhancing the NPSBN by transitioning from 4G to 5G and expanding coverage for FirstNet users. These initiatives are part of the board's commitment to invest $8.2 billion over the next decade to meet these goals, Wassel noted.

“Thank you, board, for the approval of this budget,” Wassel said. “The FY 2025 budget represents a thoughtful investment in our people, our culture, and public safety, including over $500 million for continued coverage enhancement and network evolution.” FirstNet Authority board Chair Richard Carrizzo echoed this sentiment.

“The FirstNet Authority is focused on evolving and enhancing FirstNet to meet the needs of public safety now and in the future,” Carrizzo said in a prepared statement. “This budget will enable our team to continue to engage with and advocate for the nation’s public safety community and advance communications for first responders nationwide.”

Board member Sylvia Moir emphasized that the budget's primary focus aligns with the top priorities identified by public safety personnel in their engagements with the FirstNet Authority.

“Macro coverage remains the primary stakeholder request, closely followed by a focus on network availability,” Moir said during the board meeting. “Public safety continues to demand high-speed data connectivity for real-time situational awareness and additional functionalities to enhance overall user experience for various operational scenarios.” Moir reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to ongoing engagement with public safety to address their unique communication needs.

Wassel also provided an update on the FirstNet Authority’s response to the significant February 22 outage experienced by NPSBN contractor AT&T, which left some FirstNet subscribers without service for more than two hours.

“We did have an outage back in February. We immediately established a task force,” Wassel said. “The task force has made recommendations that have been briefed to the [FirstNet Authority] board, NTIA, and the FCC. We move on stronger after this difficult incident.”

Additionally, Wassel noted that FirstNet Authority officials are preparing for the organization’s reauthorization. Established in 2012, the FirstNet Authority is currently authorized by Congress through February 2027.

“Although we depend on Congress’s schedule, we are doing all we can to be prepared for reauthorization,” Wassel said during the board meeting.