City of San José Joins FirstNet – America’s Public Safety Communications Platform

The City of San José is ushering in a new era of public safety communications as it connects its first responders and key personnel to FirstNet – America’s dedicated public safety communications platform.

This forward-thinking move reflects San José’s leading spirit of innovation and its dedication to using advanced technologies to increase the safety and wellbeing of those that live, work and visit the city.

FirstNet is designed to improve communications across public safety entities nationwide. It gives first responders the reliable, unthrottled connectivity they need to share critical information, communicate and coordinate during day-to-day situations, large events and emergencies.

Depending on the situation, first responders may rely on a broad ecosystem of partners behind the scene to help coordinate their complex response to keep the public safe. That’s why San José is equipping both its first responders and those critical to their response with FirstNet.

To align with the City’s Emergency Action Plan, agencies subscribing to FirstNet include:

San José Police Department
San José Fire Department
Office of Emergency Management
Office of the City Manager
San José Environmental Services
San José Parks, Recreation & Neighborhood Services
San José International Airport
Office of Civic Innovation
Public Works
Transportation

“Implementing FirstNet at full scale across the City is key to helping us create a new standard for public safety,” said Sam Liccardo, Mayor of San José. “We believe this is a model for cities across the country to ensure those charged with maintaining the safety of our residents and communities have the tools they need to stay connected during disasters and emergencies.”

“Outdated and unreliable communications have slowed down our public safety response for far too long. In an industry where every second matters, it’s about time that we change the face of public safety communications, and I’m proud to see San José lead the way with FirstNet,” said Ray Riordan, Director of the San José Office of Emergency Management. “We can’t predict when the next emergency will strike, but with FirstNet, we can be better prepared to respond, recover and keep our people safe.”

FirstNet is being built with AT&T in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) – an independent government authority.

San José’s FirstNet adoption builds on the City’s public-private partnership with AT&T, which is focused on expanding public safety and addressing some of the critical issues facing the community. As part of this relationship, AT&T is deploying 670 smart lighting controllers and 550 LEDs that improve lighting in 14 city parks, as well as installing 15 Digital Infrastructure nodes that will help support San Jose’s first responders. In addition, AT&T will support the San José community by providing $200,000 to help local community organizations tackle the digital divide.

AT&T has also deployed the FirstNet Band 14 spectrum across San José to provide optimal coverage and capacity for public safety. Band 14 is high-quality spectrum provided by the FirstNet Authority. Plus, with the specialized capabilities enabled by FirstNet, FirstNet performs over 25% faster than any commercial network in the nation.

“We’re honored that the City of San José chose FirstNet to elevate their communications capabilities,” said Chris Congo, assistant vice president – AT&T Public Sector. “It’s our mission to give first responders the cutting-edge tools they need to safely and effectively achieve their mission. FirstNet will help the City’s entire public safety community perform at the highest levels to keep themselves and those they serve out of harm’s way.”

“FirstNet is the exclusive communications platform being built with AT&T for public safety, inspired by public safety. There is no substitution for this dedicated network,” said Jeff Bratcher, Chief Technology and Operations Officer, FirstNet Authority. “We look forward to supporting the City of San José and all of California’s public safety community with FirstNet, making sure it delivers what they need, when they need it.”