Transcripts For CSPAN2 Senators Receive Update On Emergency Response Broadband Network 20170721

Will come to order. The update on first net and this exciting effort to deploy the nationwide interoperable Public Safety Broadband Network. Im glad to convene a hearing and an accord tuesday a attendants from a good friend ended 2012 bin that to lead the development of that Public Safety Broadband Network. With those communication failures in the other National Emergencies including Hurricane Katrina it with those Reliable Communications network to support the essential work. So with those firstsp responders across multiple jurisdictions to provide lifesaving Emergency Services. In to establish the broad base and network. And how it intended to meet the needs of each state of the regular Access Network. In with reliable coverage and into a number of murders of the subcommittee. Subcommi so those with user fees would be affordably priced to First Responders since the time much has happened to open the innovation and test lab with those new applications to be used by c First Responders. In march they formally selected at t to maintain the network over the next 25 years. Irstnet last month first that issued the pleiads that detailed the deployment proposal for Access Network in other jurisdictions. And now reviewing these plans and at t before they are issued in the fall. To develop for word to each of these actions i am eager to learn about first net to the build out plan for at t and of those assets to maximize coverage general areas with state taxpayer dollars. Of the witnesses will also address the development of a subscription pricing planse and how those are developed with the states. Likewi i look forward to hearing about the resiliency of the network from potential cyberthreats Natural Disasters and the others. Additionally im interested how first net and at t will incorporate feedback before those initial plans are finalized the development of this nationwide by mail and networking is a challenge to ensure the First Responderseir can fulfill the mission to save lives. So the courage of ourf nations First Responderson thel put their lives of space every day. To be across the nation to protect our families and, neighborhoods and families and i will kamal love of o witnesses today. We have this system Professor University of Mississippi Medical Center and the director of the gao and chief executive officer of first net in Senior Vice President from at t i recognize my friend and drinking river. In 2012 we made an important commitment to Public Safety and after Hurricane Katrina the First Responders face those glaring problems could not communicate with one another in the emergency and these could be solved with the nationwide interoperable Public Safety communication network. Making a solution a reality. A Police Officer can run a background check pitchers of the suspect to access federal lawenforcement database Emergency Personnel will not be completed in competing with those usersey wi to have priority with Public Safety specifications with competitive devices to specify Public Safety applications. It is a huge task the first time we have done anything like this we now have a vendor, at t going beyond what first net envisioned to be three months ahead of schedule and many are in the review process hoping theyll learn the value of this network many of us represent areas of this country they already suffer from lack of adequate access so it is critical they address this challenge headon for every First Responder. So to have a responsibility that allstates in territories arthur all aspects of this problem the rigid each state made its final decision bin theiran partners can begin in earnest to build the networkthe that they started to the community in the accord to the testimony. This reflects the importance of this topic andy interest of americans in this exciting new chapter. If it is all right going from one end of the table to another mr. Brown you are tgnized ago first. And with a whole with security in virginias efforts to insure First Responders have those capabilities necessary to respond. E govern this was the first date in the nation and with the Public Safety subscribers with the benefit with no cost of the commonwealth so with that portion of the and Public Safety Broadband Network that that will promote competition in the marketplace to reduce costs didnt drive innovation. That at no cost and risks associated was not feasible. And with interoperable ability with the geography of infrastructure requires robust will win security program. Hurri from terrorism to hurricanes. Ave live since the attacks 7eleven to develop the policy lesitions needed so that Lessons Learned with interoperable communication and that hurt implemented. So to assist at the pentagon in arlington. And those that have been instrumental to be engaged through Law Enforcement or emergency management. R homela with our staff director and our state point of contact have been instrumental to review the documents of the stakeholders. Ized as and then to be the innovation for Public Safety. Head was the past president both of these have one tost their expertise for go there for virginias decision to opted now was based off of first our reach liberation and now with at t. We will maximize of benefit of the commonwealth community. That is adequate coverage especially those in the rural community. In ruth that Mission Critical voice of those capabilities of 2019 to adequately protect men and women in uniform. N that marks another significant step forward of the broadband capabilities but the work continues. Provide window collectively with at t coming back to congress we realize the ultimate goaly cc of communication with reliable the works for Public Safety fake you again in the live for to answeringan your questions. Thank you now from this is a Medical Center jackson your recognize. Members of the subcommittee think for the opportunity to testify for first at with these challenges specifically in the arena is serving as say medical director that Umbrella Organization looking a research and as you may know id like many other states those challenges with chronic diseases in the location of providers as this day progresses for word. The integration of a reliable Broadband Network is vital to make things happen in mississippi we cannot currently do. One of the leading states of telemedicine for a number ofdi years and after Hurricane Katrina a has nearly 30,000 users to revolutionize the way we Practice Medicine in mississippi. In with his medical care and in 2010 to over they the broad band data we believe it is of vital next step to integrate health care. Evelopment id with the deployment of that system many lessons on how to deploy in develop a system for Public Safety. Tnet hs first that has the potential to meet these needs. Many dont have a capacity of Rural America wary we need that most but not to have coverage in the middle of nowhere chronic medical disease or with the same lovell of care which of those same discussions we believe the person that is vital Going Forward. As president s are rolling out with the entire network and from the medical perspective to haveblic saf communications with priority h service we have embarked to improve health care one example is the agreement r the grant where we are actively engaged in collecting data. And now to be too old to have innovation tulip get the ability to take the same data over a wireless system. So inclosing appreciate the opportunity to talk about medicine Going Forward it is of vital link in this is one of the ways we do it. Ttee in we hope this committee will help first net become what we all need with a vast area that is currently underserved. Ta support not do take issue but i challenge you that these events have the same impact on Rural America almost weekly a three car accident with those same resources. So that true possibility is of Public Safety officials in to push them. And with that traditional Public Safety rule and with those things we could not to enforce neck could allow us to do that. Next three years from the gao director. Did i pronounce your name correctly . Yes you did. Your recognize. Thinks for the opportunity in that first in which were publicly releasing today the were based on a new report with those efforts. Please read the report in its entirety. [laughter] i think you do want to go to lunch. It talks about insurer opera ability challenges in with those clients with the contractor is in the recommended it fully explore those tribal stakeholder concerns in person that agreed with the recommendations so establishing their broad period network was reliable and irreverent interoperable. It ended march 2017 at t would build and operate and maintain the network. Given the scope of the network so those they have key efforts for those proposal awarding the contract to at t it would be responsible for the development and production in the was state and local and stakeholders. And then to be set aside to engage him. S gao the seven expressed some concern that first met not had engaged braver idea of mechanisms. And then to represent through those key decisionel cokers. And with that state part of contact and then to reach a consensus where possible. But first that could improve those relations with their needs. And with that interoperable in the. In then to coverage of rural areas to insure the resilience to manage that framework for the identity then access management. As to test though devices the majority of stakeholders contacted but many noted the of the uncertainty that remains. First met established offices including management and oversight in those with experience to assume full responsibility in the esture. And then to see the contractors performance. In then to perform those functions not yet have we conducted long term. But as a result and then to have sufficient resources with those responsibilitiess over time with those adequate resources is the key practice for executing the with that assessment first and it is is in a better position with that risk that it assumes in the future. We will be involved in a few minutes. Next with at t glad to have you with us. In with that Senior Vice President guy currently in then to design and execute at t was honored to be chosen that is the of mission of the of a special opportunity bin to demonstrate that commitment to Public Safety in then that Interoperable Network to give First Responders to effectively communicate to collaborate across jurisdictions. The at t is dedicated so with those several hundred employees and as they hire people across of a country but overall to extend 40 billion over the lifetime of a contract with that nationwide interoperable highspeed Global Network to provide First Responders in with all other users with that network congestion. Nd it with the telecommunications platform with 180 billion includingre the Wireless Network reaching negative of the u. S. Population and at t will support First Responders with day dedicated Security Operations center. It with that application and ecosystem and what they select for their unique needs. One of those important resources they bring to bear is that National Disaster Recovery Team in with those field exercises in Disaster Recovery employment to rebuff to decades with Recovery Engineering Software Applications so fulltime volunteer Disaster Response team members. Bers it will increase the Disaster Recovery feet but first net is not just ross ecology audiences of the technological promises. Will con that will involve the First Responder network up possibilities include traffic conditions so the cameras for police and firefighters. A or with those drones or robots. So these efforts are expected to creightonn thousand jobs as well as publicprivate infrastructure investment. With a new nationwide Interoperable Network if they build they will come im happy to report as of today virginia wyoming arkansas and iowa. So those that will opted ise in the future with those that were maintaining thee standalone network. States is territories that often provide those access to the competitive rates enabled by at t enabled us by the First Responder authority. Bers o thinks having me here i look forward to addressing any questions you have. In terms of the ceo ofms first net. Much of you are recognized. In numbers of the subcommittee thank you for inviting me this is the second time to appear representing and the men and women to Public Safety. And what might and should be the of the future of the Broadband Network. Today th one of tangible progress of the delivery of the state plan. And after that first met network. For everything that they do. They are Mission Critical surveying the citizens of the United States we never lost focus to deliver the best possible the work to protect our communities and families to put themselveses in harms way is. First met accomplishes the of a great deal since i last testified. Into continue that our reach with more than an outreach events across all 56 states and territories. So to evaluate multipleth proposals to verify this is open and transparent and competitive. To create and deliver those state plans but three a month ahead of schedule and those that have already opted in. Ngress but those with the First Net Network to leverage those private sector resources. And then help to maintain the system. And after vigorous and competitive in bin to be selected on behalf of Public Safety. When w into a hit day one for Public Safety far and above what they have with a firstclass broad ban network so using the existing river structure this was driven by publicfe safety. Bin then more critical day by day in the highlygh connected world. At t will continue to evolve and through the next 25 years. And then still areas where we still need to strive for more. Continuing to strive in other areas that status quoo is not in the vocabulary. Ibal cu tribal compotation is a key part of planning to engage with those strides that adopted at the policy to ensure these responders to have options from the governors. Actually i want to thank the Navajo Nation ultimately that most important action in we have been entrusted by Public Safety to keep us safe and we will ensure that we accomplished with thehe Public Safety deserves with reliability and performance in thank you again for your support of four to answer your questions. Let me just begin by asking to say the gao report was released today. Did either of you get a sneak preview . We did. We work with them hand in hand as they were developingng the report and recommendation. You have seen the draft copy responding to some of those items of those tribal concerns are there any other response he would like to put on the record for this hearing . Absolutely. Has identified the two areas that we needed to focus on longterm staffing the address to that quickly in a full recommendation we have already been doing that but with tribal we have been doing work over the last year to improve our position with the tribal consultation to adopt tribal policies with the Public Safety in rise three committee Revisory Committee and we work with the states andth the tribes that in the states to improve the communications they have the air per for appropriation. I bet you got us meet peak . Is there anything youd like to add . To adjust to ruth piggyback on that tribal question there is over 550 federally recognized tribal entities the majority are california and alaska and this march we have done over 1,000 visits between at t and first met throughout the country with over 400 occasions been in situations to invite tribal entities and anytime we have the opportunity to make them feel welcome and gather their input we have done that. We have extended an invitation are gold is to reach as many as possible. As much to satisfy their concerns. Let me mention the communications commissionhe has expressed concern about first net commitment to pardoning the network you mentioned the this is your testimony with the infrastructure to be hardened. Can you discuss why that is important is it more important in the rural areas and how does broadband deferred retrospect to Emergency Medical Services . Will give you an example he will remember taking ourbe hospital interstate the thdical center has a robustt program to respond to that but the challenge was taking out a couple of commercial towers but it did not take out one of the communication towers. What that did for us is we lost all ability to communicate data which was vital to evacuate a move the hospital and nursing home in the people that were there. That is the peace that is the concern that i think we all share but in terms of rural and urban from a medical perspective we can do a lot more as the team is showing if we know about the patient will before they get close to a hospital of we could reach out and touch the stroke patient we can dramatically increase chances of survival. Currently were doing over b radio and it is working well so now imagine in the urban areas. Here we are five minutes from multiple hospitals so we can do with broadband data in that time is truly lifesaving and saving Health Care Dollars first net could combine both of those. Now i will take another round and let you respond. But at this point the senator has yielded his time who has recognized forever Opening Statement he may make as well as questions. I will be merciful and insert the Opening Statement into the record and note i am delighted to be working with senator called hr to update the 91 system by which are stuck in the analog era. Thinks you senator for your graciousness and your courtesy. Explain in more edta detail why the bid offer this value on Public Safety i am glad first met has entered into this contract with the private sector partner and this idea of interoperable liddy has bedeviled us forever such as the Armed Services committeeee and theyre finally getting back interoperable liddy venture opera ability but tell us why your bid offer the best value. The process since inception is to understand truly what the Public Safety needs are and how they can with technology to develop with the 16 objectives and what they thought was important and highly competitive we did not go out looking for at t to maximize the value of Public Safety but the of that sustainability required to be successful for years to come through that processmerousb numerous bids were in and analyze with detail and through the process the department of interior assisted us with the acquisition experts and at ts. Came out as the prevailing solution. Il why . That value with the ability and sign use inin sustainability and the lowest risk approach to implement this in the short time of those value propositions made them more competitive than some of the others. Risk and responsibility relate to that. Thank you mr. Brown and thank you mr. Chairman. Thinking mr. Nelson. Senator hassan. Thank you chairman wicker and Ranking Member shots. Thank you to all the witnesses for being here today in a special thanks to our Public Safety community. As a former governor i am keenly aware that states are in a position to be critical position and a state like mine which has unique terrain in rural areas that dont have a lot of access so i think the legislation that authorized firstnet got it right when they left the decision of opt in or opt out to her nations governors. Now the national firstnet vendor has chosen carefully weighing their options and ive heard from constituents in my state that one challenge theyre facing in gathering as much information as possible before making the decision is that they are facing challenges when it comes to comparing the National Plan with state plans that are being proposed as alternatives. The challenge includes issues such as having to acknowledge the terms of agreement that do not permit them to share information and plans with key people in their state so literally we may not be able to share information with the staff of the gunner which makes it incredibly difficult to make an informed decision. My question to mr. Poth and mr. Sambar is how do we stay informed and make this critically informed decision without having to compare and contrast the state plans with the nations plants . The terms of use in the data we have provided to all 56 states and territories the detailed information some of which is confidential and as you can imagine since this is a missioncritical Public Safety network we have to be very protective. I certainly can tell you and assure you that all state officials that need access should be getting access to that. We do have to be careful and will limit access to inventors or consultants that want access to that data so these are the restrictions that we are trying to be very careful with because of the nature of this project in the program. Its absolutely our commitment and our intent that the states of the most information possible so the government can make the most informed decision. Mr. Sambar anything to add . Yes senator. We initially envision we launched in june 19 that we would have roughly fit the user i. D. S and passwords. It would be 15 officials i would ask is appropriately mutilate that feedback states wanted more of an we are offering more so we have to stay right as a matter of fact 227 login have been issued. The only requirements we have senator as mr. Poth said an official email address or an authorized consultant. Either of those are fine. I will make sure that i take that information back to my state and make sure they get that cleared up. The other thing i wanted to explore with both of you and we talk a little bit about it mr. Poth when you met with me in my office which i appreciate it very much our greatest challenge for commercial connectivity and Public Safety connectivity is her sparsely populated area and we have had critical murder investigations very challenging Natural Disasters like ice storms and they are particularly challenging as they are for many of our states in remote areas. We have heard from vendors who want to serve as an alternative to the National Plan and heard from sub nine and at t the rural coverage will be a priority but no matter who they choose as their vendor we need more than an informal insurance when it comes to the journal of ours First Responders across the state have interoperable access so with a state like New Hampshire which has major gaps in Public Safety committee qishan as well as commercial voice and wireless in some rural areas how a will firstnet ensured that these First Responders in these areas will not get left behind and what kind of Accountability Measures are there. Lets say three years and now we are stomach getting the cover to an access we need. How do the States Holding accountable for that . The state plans that everyone is currently reviewing is what at t and firstnet commitment to that state will be if they opt in so when the state does off then that becomes our commitment and we contractually will hold at ts responsible and accountable to execute to that plan that the state has agreed to so thats the first part and a big component of those plans as you mentioned is the rural coverage whether its with terrestrial sites or the use of deployable somehow bozza be accomplished and thats why its critical the states are doing this review right now so they have a full appreciation of how that could work in the state. So once they have made that decision then we will contractually with the master contract that we have with at t we will use that as a roadmap and over the years not just the first five years but the next 25 years to Service Level agreements and metrics we will be holding at t responsible and accountable to execute to that plant. And mr. Sambar anything to add . Center ive heard loud and clear as i visited states especially New Hampshire, ive been there three times myself and met with the governor twice. We visit there almost every week their rural coverage is a concern. We are part of both a program to build out across america. As mr. Poth said there will be areas that will be uncovered in any network in the world but we do have solutions for that and the main solution is deployable in northern msha for example if the ability to deploy a network is very important to today in the west in california there are wildfires burning in we had to deployable right now. At the picture one of them. Its a large Global Network. We will be building out 70 to those from the countryside will have quick access to deployable spike calling at t and sub nine. Any state will be able to cover those areas. Ive gone well past my time. Thank you for him your indulgence. Senator hassan or question is how can the states hold firstnet and at t to account and is it your position gentleman that the adherents to the state plan amounts to a legallybinding contract . Is this your question . A legallybinding contract and what the recourse is. If you dont mind senator klobuchar before i recognize you can we drill down on that . I think theres an important clarification. It will be a legallybinding contract between firstnet and at t to execute to that plan. It will not be a contract per se with the state. To come into the state. How the state holds us accountable as firstnet shifts gears from developing a proposal for the next 25 years we are going to be in a position to work with the state and Public Safety and although states to make sure all of their expectations both in the state plan and in the future are being met and translated appropriately back into contractual actionable items or if at t is not meeting the requirements for the expectations firstnet on behalf of Public Safety in those states will enforce the terms of the contract. Thank you very much presenter klobuchar. Thank you very much and they give the panel. I very much enjoyed working with senator burr and recently working with senator nelson on our bill. They just want to follow up on the questions that the chairman and the senator have. Im very concerned about rural areas creag minnesota has large eggs vantine of rural areas. One day in minnesota northern minnesota registered colder than mars. This is a true story. The range rover was a warm part of mars and we were colder than mars. I subscribe to the fact that we have unique needs and our sacred first of all starting with one of our unique needs and ask you mr. Poth if theres any update on the court nation with canada as we share a large order with canada and minnesota. Theres a lot of good news. Canada is using the same exact spectrum than we will be utilizing with at t so theres a lot of synergies. We have spent a great deal of time coordinating and comparing notes with canada and the Public Safety entities in that country as to what we are doing so there is the interoperability between the countries will also be realized. Very good in this cam direct the from our team. I know youve been working directly with the Public Safety officials to tailor these unique state plans and as i mentioned we face unique Public Safety concerns some of them shared by senator hassan in the middle of winter and losing running out of gas and not being able to call. States have up to his understand of 45 days to review the plans and then ask questions. I know process is an important part of ensuring that the network that eventually addresses the Public Safety needs of each state so mr. Poth what is firstnet seeking timely answers to their questions . We are making sure through this 40 by the perry that they understand what we present and then hundreds of common throughout the country and the state to get verification or to get a greater appreciation. We are responding that to those as quickly as possible in real time. What our intent is that the states will have the time to provide their initial comments and observations and if we have not responded by that point we certainly will be doing back to finalize many the plans that we are planning to deliver in september. The defendant peace hopes Public Safety answering points and First Responders in the field folks that were calling him. For the private citizen calling him to be good to pass pictures, videos to the center and immediately pass up to the First Respond was. To pass the data out on a dedicated network for the First Responders to ensure seamless information so that theyve made this tremendous opportunity to work together. The technology as we know comes new risk so what is at t doing to protect and defend the Cyber Attacks of the network . We have the contractual obligation and have taken a lot of steps in the future so there will be specific devices that need to be certified by at t it goes to the core network for all of the data rides and we are building a separate core for the First Responders data. We have a Security Operation Center we are building for this network. We are building one just for First Responders and Identity Access management as was mentioned earlier we are taking steps to ensure we get the right people on so we are taking a number of steps we have gone through to ensure the network is secure. The question i asked about the question and answer in the important for the state team of getting the answers. We have a Collaborative Group of executive committee reviewing the state plan and we are right now in the final stages of planning out different regional congresses across the commonwealth. I said we would get back to the hardening issues and senator klobuchar has touched on one aspect he mentioned the tornado in louisville mississippi and how fortunate and foresighted leaders were making the towers hardened. It is a considered public safe safety. Theres a specific definition for the safety grade but at t conserves the towers to meet state and federal withstanding such as wind and earthquakes etc. Weve gone to Great Lengths to construct the network as reliable as possible. Congress will get knocked down as a function of mother nature. The solution in the first match world is the deployables death will have a Response Time to come to that area and provide network communications. We can get to an area as quickly as possible and put up a network where there is one. The key is maybe we need to define it. We are working with at t and all the sites in the dub him a. Its your site in mississippi more critical than the one in nebraska, absolutely not. So, at t with their existing infrastructure sites will exist. Meeting not only the state and federal rules when we make sure they are hard but the Public Safety part in the definition is anything we are applying. The network and Service Arrangements will leverage Innovative Products and applications and the marketplace that can improve Public Safety and Emergency Services. As mentioned by others in the testimony one of the things we are most proud of at first as we develop our own lab in boulder and one of the focuses its innovation and technology and working with our sister organization. You may recall in the statute as 300 million set aside for Public Research and innovation and trust a couple months ago they rewarded the first 38 million in grants to universities and companies to continue to push Public Safety innovation and technology. In our expectation for years to come, it will be advocating for the benefit of Public Safety. Senator marquee is next. Very important hearing and one of the key issues is the ability of the First Responder in instrumental ingredients for the rescue efforts of the coordination to be able to ensure the urban area numbing the First Responders latitude coordinates so that a more precise identification can be made. And we need to know there is a battalion of firefighters battling a place and know that treating patients on the lowest floor. They are potentially lifesaving and we must ensure they are the hands of the First Responders as soon as possible. With the Technology Groups that we dont have peace and tranquility on them. There are solutions and we understand how important it is to Public Safety and smoke inhalation is vitally important that we provide that. It is a contractual requirement and we will absolutely develop that. The concerns we have at the time is the maturity of the technology and ensuring that Technology Works at a time when they should. When the power goes out in a building if they are pressure differences created how do we account for pressure differenc differences . We want to make sure all of that is done perfectly so working with the authority we want to make sure we bring that to market when it ready and as quickly as possible. Are you happy with what is being made and that its going to take for you to reach an agreement to ensure that the services are available . We do have an agreement, so by 2020 the solutions should be available. The preliminary technology is not in a position to be deployed. Thats the target that we set in the contract and there is Technology Today but we dont believe it is as robust to be put out in the field. If it moves up quicker we are going to advocate and work with at t to accelerate that. Im comfortable and confident that they will be able to make that. It is a 20 concept and execution so this one is the third leg. So thats what we want to do to walk over to those people. Theres usually a good way of getting things if the key thing is pulled out and all of a sudden the attention is paid to it so i appreciate you doing that. Can the states and mass apologies have networks and devices how well this work with utilizing existing Communications Resources to build out and deploy a national Public Safety broadband work and you commit to decreasing the transition costs to the greatest extent possible. Absolutely. Weve had a number of states and federal agencies and weve been in communication in the state and a sitting municipal assets that would give them the benefit of being able to develop the network faster. So we are active with a number of states and entities to see what we can do to increase the buildout so that is the benefit of this Publicprivate Partnership that we are in. Do you want to add anything . Synchronicity. We are not in a honeymoon period. Its a Significant Partnership and endeavor but we are going to make sure that at t meets all of the requirements. I understand that. Its just a couple weeks ago useful than talking in anticipation of the hearing. All of these things will be close into the accounts. Its a great song. Who wrote that . I got the beats but i dont know if i have the spelling. A question for the record. It is subject to question. The senator from new jersey im competitive with everyone else. Senator inhofe is recognized. First of all so you will be aware we always have the committees sharing so we were not able to get here for the first entire hour but one of them youve answered at least twice already in this hearing so bear with me because i have some interest and by the way before he leaves, i might observe that he and i dont always see eye to eye on issues, but we have one thing in common. We will be calling you to ensure that its on time. To me it is very difficult. You are dealing with states, communities, counties that are totally different. We are a rural state and that would pose a lot more problems because when senator marquee was talking about the first bill and another these are all scattered with different capabilities to coordinate so i was kind of like to talk with both of you about the unique problems that you have that icy, but i do understand my state of oklahoma is in the state and would be much more difficult i would think to coordinate. What are your thoughts . I would say at the very core of the states are looking for whether it is a state that has the urban populations or spread out in the rural populations they are looking for broadband coverage that is reliable and gives access to First Responders, so at the core of what we need to provide when we have discussions in oklahoma versus manhattan we hear virtually the same thing we need coverage where they operate which is everywhere. There is no coverage. They create a cell phone connection for First Responders where they would have priority access to the doctor saying earlier in situatio a situationn example of where broadband towers had been knocked down is a perfect example of where we can bring this. How many of these do you have . Anything to add to that . Rural coverage has been a problem forever, even in the land mobile radio, walkietalkies, it is always very challenging as you point out. Now, congress in particular had the foresight to also make sure rural coverage is a critical component of the first solution Going Forward, and that is one of the things we are very focused on to try to improve that it is going to take years to get to the point in every phase of the buildout is going to be interesting to start chipping away but whether it is the land mobile radio is very challenging and we hope this is the first step to solve all of that. Being the independent authority in congress when you first embarked on this, did you look for other examples of things that have worked. Its how they work effectively with the private sector. The model that we pursued we went out to the private sector and said what is the approach to solve some of those problems is an independent authority and the government we have been very effective and looked at other models as to what is working. But the department of commerce, the fcc, all of those other components that are critical to this approach has been very supportive and its worked for us and thats why i think we are glad today to be reporting we are three months ahead of schedule from what the original intent was and we do have a contract award that is providing the needs to Public Safety and its financially sustainable. This independent authority isnt going to come back and ask for additional funds and i think that is a significant Plan Congress had envisioned when they start this authority up. Each state represented in this table here probably believes it has more disasters than any other in our state of oklahoma as you know it is a commonplace, tornadoes and a horrible fire took place just two months ago. It is such a diverse array of problems. Im glad you are ahead of schedule and i will look forward to monitoring your success. Where there isnt buildup or buildout, to what extent are the deployable was going to do the trick . I will speak first from the medical perspective the great Disaster Recovery we have some with our own network currently. To their point it cannot be 100 . The challenge for us as operators is to know where the coverage is. A lot of technology has been talked about but there is a missing piece and that is how to operate within a stew technology and that is a piece that is as challenging as the discussions here all do we develop the medical protocols to balance what the paramedics, physicians, whoever can communicate using the network so to me i would love to have the connectivity but its the ability to know where it is. We need to know where it is and how to get it and more importantly how to use the technology thats there. Deep labels can be helpful in emergency situations but the nature of the situation as you may not be able to get it close enough so that can be a problem at times. More broadly speaking there are specific milestones in the contract at t must meet with in respect to the buildout areas in the next 25 years and a person that is going to have to find a way to ensure the accountability of the buildout overtime. Milestones with regards to the amount it has to occur in the contract. There may be some difficulties with respect to this if you have for instance tribes that span multiple states and some states opt in and some states often out, that may have some confusing components to how that might work. Anything to add to that . Our priority is focused on working with our communities first at at t to build out the network but to the extent we cannot get full coverage in those areas, the access would definitely be useful in terms of the Emergency Response as long as we can get guarantees and how quickly they will get their and make sure they are there in time to initiate a response. Some of our devastating Natural Disasters have been in the rural areas. Flash flooding etc. So this is a major. I appreciate you indulging the chair, take an extra minute or two if you made. Im going to try to take less than my five minutes to bring balance to the universe. First of all, thank you for your hard work. I was stunned when we faced environmental challenges have inadequate or communications were. We had an earthquake in new jersey and i was just astonished about how my community was acting but our communications felt they failed and it was unacceptable. I am proud of my state using the spectrum for sort of exciting safety broadband projects overseen he is an expert in communications. The project is spread throughout the state and includes a between camden and lake city. Its a case of emergency like i discussed when the communications go down. I think the project could be modeled for the country and contribute to how we keep the networks moving and running in the crisis. It will help keep Emergency Personnel connected such as critical as we all know. But additionally, as we were discussing they can be used to aid other states in the country when they are needed. We are hopeful about the project as it has been discussed and so we know that the mobile units were deployed from new jersey and during the popes visit last september the pope was visiting and so i just want to know what is learned from new jersey project and how do they envision the assets as it was discussed in the future and that is my only question. Youve highlighted one of the things we are excited about because the state of new jersey did forge a lot of New Territory and we got great key learning conditions and while we dont believe they are a permanent solution for the coverage it is absolutely a viable solution thanks to overwork your state did because you exercise of those extensively. You mentioned all these other events and i distinctly remember a anywhere whether it is rough terrain you are able to stand up a network in that area and it gave us a lot more confidence that as we consider solutions and alternatives during the process it was a vibrant solution sets to provide coverage in those areas that might not exist so there was Great Success from what new jersey was able to do. As you mentioned they helped the Philadelphia Police department with the visit. Harris county texas was using that concept during the super bowl so there were a lot of key learnings that we are now using in the nationwide solution set. At t has already been giving this with their fleet of 700 d. Deep labels which will give the ability to maybe get those into areas that are little tougher to get to. We are excited about that. It is an absolute addition to the solution that we are going to be able to bring to Public Safety quickly. I think you said mississippi could learn a lot from new jersey and i think that is the essence of the message. Thank you mr. Chairman. And vice versa. I know the senator is on his way back, but i do have a couple of extra questions. On the class 14 spectrum, the 20 megahertz spectrum provided to create nationwide Public Safety wireless broadband i think the testimony is that the existing commercial network may be used instead. Could you clarify to what extent we will have that . To what extent he will have the existing network is that the question . Yes sir. We will be building up over the coming five years across a significant portion of the network. In the meantime before it is built out we will be using our commercial network. There are requirements over how quickly we need to buildout and we have to get those milestones to get the payment. If we do not have the milestones we dont receive the payment so we wont be aggressively building out for the First Responders and again in the meantime, they will have access to all of us fans so simply if you are a First Responder, senator, you will not know whether you were on class 14 or any other but you will have the exact same experience regardless of what standard you are on. If the surface is provided and the consumer in the Public Safety to them it would be immaterial where its coming from. The way i say it is Public Safety has been told for many years that the magic happens on class 14 and weve changed that. Thats not correct anymore. The magic happens on the network period and it doesnt matter where you are you will have the same experience comes weve extended the onto the class 14 network. Will you build out the class 14 spectrum of only where it is economically viable or where it is a rigid requirement in the arrangement between you and first met . We are building 14 where we need the capacity and the networks to provid so to provide priority into Preemptive Services to First Responders and have enough capacity for everyone on the network including the First Responders there are places we need additional capacity. Based on capacity obviously weve been doing this a long time that we see in the network we buildout as additional capacity on individual and this is done on a tower by tower basis. Are you able to say what approximate percentage will be covered by the band class 14 . Unfortunately, im not. Thats proprietary between at t and i would say against a significant portion. Can you be more specific than significant . That would be proprietary, senator, i apologize. What makes it proprietary . The specific deals of the contract. Theres a number of specific details that are proprietary. That is proprietary and not available to the public . Thats correct. And so there would be no availability of coverage percentages for each state . In that case, every state can see exactly where the buildout is happening and there are multiple layers they have to choose from. A vacancy two g. , three g. , and a vacancy the buildout by years of individual states can see what the buildout in their state is. Is that the question youre asking . He cant see what is happening in their state, they know exactly where its going to be the next five years and where the 14 builders happening in their state. And i wonder though, then in terms of this coverage that you said really shouldnt matter what band its coming over, are you able to say what percentage of the lower 48 landmass will be covered like one way or the other . Apart of course from the deep labels. 99. 6 of the population will be covered by at ts network. The landmass. I dont have a percentage of landmass. Would you be able to i can get a percentage absolutely. Thank you mr. Chairman. The goal with this national stateoftheart First Responders that were corrected as is the need to have a National Approach to addressing emergencies not just the continental United States that means all 50 states and territories. I know youve done several consultations with general logan and the team so i just want to ask a simple question. What have you found that is different about hawaii . Theres a lot of great things that are different about hawaii. One of the things is the number of islands and how we cover that quickly and appropriately as you mentioned. Weve been working with general logan for several years and hes a big advocate. We think we have an appreciation of the challenges and opportunities for why he has and thats why it is critical with the plan that they are currently reviewing that they provide the feedback to us to make sure that weve captured and that the state is very comfortable in our approach. That is a good answer in adequate answer but let me give you a couple things i want you to take back and make sure it is all covered in your discussions with our team in hawaii. One of the big differences as they wanisthey want coverage ovn addition to the land. That is a technical matter that youve got to address. The second issue an into this my seem small, but its not. To the extent that you are doing something truly nationwide, you have to think about this sort of Business Operation of giving Conference Calls and the fact that there is a sixhour time difference so when you do a Conference Call there is not just an inconvenience, but let me say this way it demonstrates an east coast culture. And that is not trivial to us. We will do if we get up at 2 00 into the Conference Calls. But to understand this as a nationwide network and that each state is different is also to understand we all live in different parts of the planet and i would just ask you to try to accommodate that. I understand we are at the middle of the time zones but there could be some accommodation im quite sure a lot of the team in hawaii and their families would appreciate if you could make an accommodation that way. I know that thereve been a lot of questions about covering rural areas, and i wont go over that again except to ask you to reconnect or reaffirm your commitment to making rural coverage a priority and that includes some pretty interesting topography in hawaii and the recognition that we are not separated by an ocean, we are connected by an ocean. Absolutely, you have our commitment that is an important focus and i appreciate that fair criticism and we will certainly adjust that to make sure we are making sure our communications with all 56 states and territories are a little more accommodating. Thank you. I agree with what he said. Url or customer, not the other way around, so we should be accommodating you. One unique example i will give is deep labels and rural coverage. A state in the middle of the United States if you put a deployable in the United States you might have a two or three hour drive time but in hawaii its different. You cant necessarily put one on a boat and go to the next island quickly so we understand we will be putting multiple. We are dealing with a team to determine that number but we understand we need multiple deep labels to meet the needs of hawaii specifically. Thank you. This is a technical question so i dont even know necessarily this is a challenge, but how does at t intend to build the network so that hawaii does not depend on continental United States infrastructure to keep the Network Operational . In other words if theres a problem on the mainland in the middle of a Natural Disaster in the pacific, are we still required to balance the server in tucson or ho how to does tha . Unfamiliar with the issue. You are referring to the network that reified subcontinental u. S. So hawaiis traffic does traverse the ocean. Your team has brought this up as an issue and we recognize it as an issue and we are working to find what the solution is going to be, whether it is deployable as i mentioned earlier, or whether it is putting a full corquarter note in hawaii or whether it is some type of a temporary note in hawaii or that can be used in a time of crisis, so we are working with our teams to make sure they are satisfied with the solution we provide. Is that expensive or there is a spectrum so that deployable czar on one side and provide a fullblown court on the other side is expensive and there is a middle ground i think both parties are close to coming to agreement on and it will be a factor for both parties. What about cybersecurity. It seems to me that if there were a cyber attack on the Critical Infrastructure side that they would be looking for in aperture to shut down this network. How worried are you about that and it is your cybersecurity plan for at t sort of the let me say another way is to first make cybersecurity plan a subset of what happens or is there a separate enterprise that deals with the possibility of an attack . I appreciate the question. First, the contractual obligation we have is to treat this network differently than we treat our regular networks so we will be building a couple of things that differentiate. First of all, the devices themselves need to be screened and ensure they are secure for First Responders in the second the applications on the devices. First responders wont go to the regular stores we all go to to get their applications. They will go to a specific application so they will be vetted for security and functionality. Next, the network itself i referred to earlier as the core network that is the traffic resides on the core network all of the First Responder network will be on a separate window will cost hundreds of millions to build that completely separate and right now we have one that operates in your building a completely separate one with encryption and thats not typically how Wireless Networks are built so that will get enhanced security to Public Safety than the last piece i would mention is the Security Operations center. At t currently operates multiple Security Operations centers around the world. We are building a Security Operations center specific for this core in this traffic to ensure it is monitored 24 hours a day, seven days a week 365, 35 days a year so there will be Security Professionals just looking at First Responder traffic on the First Responder network. So, we are going to Great Lengths to ensure this network is as secure as possible, because as you say, this could be a target for an attack and we want to make sure that doesnt happen. Do you have anything to add . As he mentioned with the robust nature of what they are doing, also at first met with our cybersecurity experts we are also drawing from experts at dhs and the doj we are making sure we are going to do periodic inspections and audits to make sure that its meeting all the needs, because this is a very highprofile network and is highly susceptible for people wanting to try to attack it. Volunteer Emergency Service providers im told they will want to migrate their personal devices onto the Public Safety network. How is at t going to address this . As we understand based on the research the vast majority of firefighters for example are not issued devices for their daily use at work especially volunteer firefighters that is greater than 70 of. Whether you provide your own personal device, they will have access to the First Network and once we can verify the credentials to make sure we have the right people on the network they will have access to all the features and benefits and it will come at a lower price than they are paying today for their personal or commercial service. So, it is a tremendous benefit to all First Responders. On the user fees will they cost the same for all Network Users or will they vary by region and Public Safety agencies were states . Its a difficult answer because there are different cases. So it depends if you are a Large Department and the want of limited data and you have a number of applications you want installed on the device and u. S. Mobile management software, that would be one case. There may be a department that wants to connect the cameras and dashboard video cameras. It may depend on the case so so if they are not regions and states. Thats correct. Thank you very much. Clearly this is a massive undertaking and there is much interest that youve been good to answer on questions. The hearing record will remain open for two weeks during the time senators are asked to submit questions for the record. Upon receipt and the witnesses agree that they will submit their written answers within three weeks of receiving them, can we agree to that . Made the record reflects all five witnesses agreed to do that. We do appreciate it very much. The hearing is now concluded with the thanks of the members of the subcommittee. [inaudible conversations]