FirstNet Milestone Draws Crowd of Fans, Including White House

The Commerce Department's announcement that AT&T had been awarded the contract to build and maintain FirstNet, the interoperable broadband communications network suggested after first responder communications failures on 9/11, drew praise from various quarters. "This step was part of the 9/11 Commission’s recommendations on improving the ability of our police, fire, and emergency medical personnel to communicate seamlessly across jurisdictions, which is critical to their missions," said White House press secretary Sean Spicer. "It’s also a sign of the incredible ability of public-private partnerships to drive innovation and solve some of our biggest problems while also creating jobs and growing the economy."