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  "description": "Officials said the public safety network is adapting to more frequent and severe disasters.",
  "path": "/firstnet-showcases-disaster-response-network/",
  "publishedAt": "2026-04-23T19:17:04.000Z",
  "site": "https://broadbandbreakfast.com",
  "tags": [
    "Learn more about the Broadband Community...",
    "Start Your Broadband Journey Here",
    "federal regulators approved",
    "through September 2037"
  ],
  "textContent": "WASHINGTON, April 23, 2026 – FirstNet is evolving to respond to increasingly frequent and severe natural disasters.\n\nThe nationwide public safety network delivered over 2,500 deployable solutions last year at no cost to police, fire, EMS, and other emergency personnel. The network is built and operated by AT&T and overseen by the FirstNet Authority.\n\nAt a showcase in Washington, officials said FirstNet’s arsenal includes roughly 1,000 different types of technologies. From specialized boats and response vehicles to mobile command centers and central offices, the showcase featured a mix of aerial, ground, and maritime technologies designed for disaster recovery.\n\nLearn more about the Broadband Community...\n\n\n                            Start Your Broadband Journey Here\n                        \n\n**Michael Dubois** , principal network technology support at AT&T, oversees a fleet of 67 deployable trailers staged across five U.S. warehouses designed to replicate full network operations in disaster zones.\n\nHe described how crews use a specialized armored fiber cable that allows rapid field connections without traditional splicing.\n\nHe cited an example in Hartford, Tennessee, when flooding from Hurricane Helene damaged AT&T central offices near Pigeon River. Three trailers were deployed to recreate the facility on site.\n\n“Within three days, we had all the cell sites back up.” Dubois said. “By the end of the month, we had restored all services.”\n\nAnother prominent display featured a landing craft, a 45-foot flat-bottomed boat designed to transport vehicles and equipment to shore.\n\nThe vessel was developed after Hurricane Ian, when crews in Florida faced a two-day delay waiting for a barge to reach Sanibel Island from Fort Myers.\n\n“We waited and waited for a barge to get assets to Sanibel,” said **Jim Salter** , a lead network technology specialist and master captain. That’s when “we came up with the solution.”\n\nThe vessel runs on diesel, which is easier to source during emergencies. It carries a 400-gallon fuel tank and is equipped with a 40-foot pump and hose system, allowing crews to refuel other response assets in the field.\n\nThe showcase also featured drones designed to restore cellular coverage, land mobile radio (LMR) systems, 3D imaging tools, and emerging direct-to-device satellite technology.\n\nThe technology gained added significance this week as federal regulators approved AST SpaceMobile to expand its direct-to-cell service using AT&T and Verizon spectrum, a move expected to benefit FirstNet by expanding low Earth orbit satellite coverage.\n\nThe House voted Monday to extend the FirstNet Authority through September 2037. Without reauthorization, the program would otherwise sunset in 2027.\n\nOfficials said the program is seeing a 10 percent year-over-year increase in requests as its subscriber base continues to grow.",
  "title": "FirstNet Showcases Disaster Response Network",
  "updatedAt": "2026-07-09T21:51:42.203Z"
}