Rivada Asks All States to Say No to FirstNet
Rivada urged all governors to opt out of FirstNet in protest of the authority's revising its draft spectrum manager lease agreement (SMLA). Tuesday, with many jurisdictions already opted in and the Dec. 28 deadline to opt out fast approaching, FirstNet…
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clarified states are responsible only for actual costs of re-establishing the radio access network (see 1712190069). The change decreased the risk of opt-out, but the timing leaves states no chance to weigh what it means, Rivada said in a Thursday news release. “It is very troubling that this dramatic shift -- in favor of state autonomy -- has been communicated as a minor adjustment, under cover of confidential emails.” FirstNet referred us to its Tuesday statement saying it clarified the draft SMLA after getting feedback from states. So far, 41 of 56 states and territories accepted AT&T plans. New Hampshire is the only state to opt out, but opt-in arguments for that state haven’t subsided (see 1712200043).