Two of the three U.S. territories in the Pacific opted into AT&T’s FirstNet network for first responder communications over the past week.
The decisions this month from Guam and American Samoa leave the Northern Mariana Islands as the only U.S. constituency to remain undecided. All 50 states, along with the District of Columbia and the Caribbean territories of Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, opted into FirstNet — rather than consider rival bids — by their Dec. 28 deadline.
The Pacific territories were given a March deadline, but Guam announced it would opt in late last week and American Samoa followed suit on Wednesday.
“Communication is critical when a typhoon or other disaster strikes our island,” Guam Gov. Eddie Calvo said in a statement. “FirstNet is another step toward improving our connectivity amongst first responders, which enhances their safety as well as their ability to safeguard and respond to emergencies in our island community.”
Filed Under: Infrastructure
