Inside INdiana Business is reporting Governor Eric Holcomb has announced Indiana will be the 25th state to opt into a nationwide public broadband network deployment plan. The FirstNet initiative allows AT&T to install infrastructure at no cost to the state, giving public safety workers and first responders access to high-speed, wireless communication infrastructure.
Holcomb says the network will “help those on the front lines coordinate better and faster to serve and protect our citizens and communities.”
FirstNet was established in 2012 by federal law. AT&T will build the infrastructure at no cost, and local public safety and first responder agencies will pay subscription fees to access the network. Indiana Integrated Public Safety Commission Executive Director David Vice says the state has conducted “unprecedented effort” to work with public safety leaders to make sure the program is right for the state.
Other states that have opted into the network include: Virginia, Wyoming, Arkansas, Kentucky, Iowa, New Jersey, West Virginia, New Mexico, Michigan, Maine, Montana, Arizona, Kansas, Nevada, Hawaii, Alaska, Tennessee, Nebraska, Maryland, Texas, Minnesota, Alabama, Idaho and Louisiana.