Los Angeles is first BTOP grantee to approve FirstNet spectrum-lease pact

The board of the Los Angeles Regional Interoperable Communications System (LA-RICS) last week voted in favor of a 700 MHz spectrum-lease agreement with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet). The vote makes LA-RICS the first jurisdiction to approve a FirstNet spectrum-lease pact. LA-RICS was one of seven Broadband Technology Opportunities Program (BTOP) public-safety entities that received a total of $380 million in federal grant funding to build out public-safety LTE networks using 10 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum leased from the Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST).