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Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant today announced that he has accepted the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) deployment plan offered by FirstNet and AT&T on behalf of his state, making Mississippi the 46th state—not including three territories—to “opt-in” to the FirstNet system by today's deadline.
“I've determined this is the best deal with the least amount of risk for taxpayers,” Bryant said in a prepared statement. “It will provide our first responders with the tools they need to keep Mississippians safe.”
Under the law that established FirstNet, governors in all 56 states and territories have the choice of making an “opt-in” decision—accepting the FirstNet deployment plan and allowing AT&T to build the LTE radio access network (RAN) within the state’s borders at no cost to the state—or pursuing the “opt-out” alternative, which would require the state to be responsible for building and maintaining the RAN for the next 25 years.
Bryant’s announcement is expected to be the first of many today,...