FirstNet Board Names Northern Virginia as Headquarters

The First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) voted to establish Northern Virginia as its corporate headquarters and the Boulder, Colorado area as its technical, engineering and network design headquarters.

Northern Virginia was selected for a number of factors including its close proximity to a high concentration of wireless, technical and public safety expertise. The Northern Virginia location is also close to the U.S. Commerce Department and public safety stakeholders and associations located in the Washington metropolitan area. Boulder is home of the Commerce Department’s laboratories, including the Public Safety Communications Research program (PSCR). The PSCR has been a primary technical advisor to public safety on communications issues for 20 years and operates a unique, multi-vendor Long Term Evolution (LTE) network in the Boulder area. The Board also said it would establish one regional office in each of the ten Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) regions. FirstNet office locations will be established on competitive terms and specific locations will be determined as we move forward.

Separately, the FirstNet Board voted to extend spectrum lease negotiations with the Executive Office of the State of Mississippi and Motorola Solutions, Inc. (With the Bay Area Regional Interoperable Communications Systems Authority (Bay-RICS) ) until Nov. 15, 2013. The Board also agreed to reopen discussions with Adams County Communications Center (ADCOM), in Adams County, Colo. and the state of New Jersey. Those negotiations will also conclude by Nov. 15, 2013.