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

Att and the Virginia Office of Public Safety. This is an hour and 40 minutes. It is precisely 10 00 a. M. Good morning and the subcommittee will come to order. Good morning. The subcommittee comes to order. The exciting efforts to deploy the nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. Im glad to convene this hearing and i look forward to the attendance and a moment to from my different friend and Ranking Member mr. Schatz. In 2012 congress created the First Responder Network Authority to lead the development of a nationwide interoperable Public Safety Broadband Network in the United States. With the Communications Failures that plague Recovery Efforts during 9 11 and other National Emergencies including Hurricane Katrina there was and still is a clear need for a Reliable Communications network to support the central work of our Public Safety officials such a network would improve coordination on First Responders across multiple jurisdictions and enhance the ability of First Responders to provide lifesaving Emergency Services quickly. Last year the subcommittee convened for an update on firstnets progress in establishing Public Safety networks. At that time we learn from firstnet that but how it intended to address individualized needs of each state in deploying access network. Firstnet reiterated its commitment to providing reliable coverage to rural areas, an issue near and dear to my heart and to a number of members of the subcommittee. Firstnet assured members of the subcommittee that user fees would be reasonably and affordably priced for Public Safety users, two issues of great importance to First Responders around the country. Since that time much has happened. Last November Firstnet opened a test lab to develop and test new devices and applications that can be used by First Responders on the future Public Safety network. In march firstnet formally selected at t as its Industry Partners to maintain the network over the next 25 years. Last months firstnet issued the initial state plans which detailed its deployment proposals for the Radio Access Network in the states of jurisdiction. The states are now reviewing this plan and providing feedback to firstnet in at t before the finalized plans are issued in the fall. Today i look forward to hearing more about each of these actions im eager to learn about firstnet and at ts network will tout plans and how they will leverage infrastructure assets to maximize coverage in rural areas and save taxpayer dollars. I hope our witnesses will also address the development of subscription pricing plans for Public Safety officials to network and how those plans are being developed in coordination with the states. Likewise i look forward to hearing about the resiliency of the networks in particular how firstnet in at t will harden and secure its individual Cyber Threats of Natural Disasters and other planned events. Additionally im interested in how firstnet and at t will incorporate feedback from the states before the initial plans are finalized. By any estimation the developments of this nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network is a challenge but it is an important endeavor to ensure that First Responders can fulfill their Daily Mission to save lives and at the center of this effort is the courage of our nations First Responders who put their lives on the line every day. In my state of mississippi and senator schatz state of hawaii and across the nation to protect our families, neighborhoods and communities. They deserve a network that is interoperable, reliable and secure. I welcome all of our witnesses today. Include mr. Curtis brown, deputy Secretary Office of the virginias secretary of Public Safety and Homeland Security. Mr. Damon darcey assistant Professor University of mississippi Medical Center, mr. Mark goldstein physical issues director Government Accountability office. Mr. Michael poth chief executor officer firstnet and mr. Chris sambar Senior Vice President at t. Thank you all for being here and im delighted at this point to recognize my friend and Ranking Member senator schatz. Thank you mr. Chairman and thank you to our witnesses for being here. In 2012 when congress created the firstnet we made an important commitment to Public Safety. The time we knew from the tragedies of september 11 and Hurricane Katrina that are First Responders faced glaring communications problems. They often couldnt communicate with one another in an emergency. We also knew these problems could be solved with a nationwide interoperable Public Safety communication network. Today we are closer than ever to making that solution a reality. Firstnet firefighters loibl be able to down like download the blueprints. The Police Officer can get pictures of the suspect by accessing a federal Law Enforcement database the most important Emergency Personnel will not be competing with commercial users are for bandwidth. They will have priority in the network which will be built to harden the Public Safety specifications and will have competitive devices and specified Public Safety applications. Theres no doubt firstnet will revolutionize Public Safety committee patients for decades to come but its also a huge task. This is the first time we done anything like this. Firstnet staff and the board had made progress since the hearing last year. We now have a vendor, at t that brings assets that go beyond what firstnet envisioned. Firstnet in at t have delivered plans to each state three months ahead of schedule. Five states have opted into firstnet and many are in the review process. We hope that our First Responders learn more about the value of this network to participate many of us represent rural and remote areas of the country. These communities suffer from a lack of adequate access to commercial Broadband Services so its critical firstnet in at t address this challenge headon so every purse First Responder in all parts of our country benefit from the new network. Firstnet and at t have a responsibility to insurers the specific needs of all states and territories are respected throughout all aspects of this program from deployment to operations and management. Once each state has made its final decision on how to participate firstnet at t and their partners can begin in earnest to build a network that delivers on the promise made to the public in 2012. I want to thank witnesses for appearing before the committee and i look forward to your testimony. Thank you senator schatz and i think the attendance today reflects the importance of this topic and also the interest of americans in this exciting new chapter. If its all right we will take the testimony in this order and sort of go from one end of the table to the other end than we will end up in the middle. Mr. Brown you are recognized to go first. Thank you and good morning chairman wicker Ranking Member schatz and members of the committee. On behalf of Governor Terry mcauliffe and the secretary of public Homeland Security i would like to thank you for the opportunity to discuss firstnet to ensure First Responders have the emergency capabilities necessary to respond to all hazards. The governor was proud to announce virginia was the first in the nation to opt in to firstnet. Virginia opted in to provide current at t Public Safety to travelers with the benefit of Priority Services now at no cost to the commonwealth as well as to greenlight the bill out of virginias portion of the national Public Safety Broadband Network could we believe the decision to opt in will promote competition within the Public Safety Communications Marketplace that will reduce costs and drive innovation. The unknown costs and risks associated with deploying and operating a network was not feasible. Virginia has long been the leader of interoperability across the state and the decision to often continues. Our unique geography and Critical Infrastructure requires robust Public Safety and Homeland Security programs for example for a wide range of potential threats from terrorism to hurricanes. It is vital that a Public Safety professionals are quick with the tools they need to save lives. Since the attacks of 9 11 virginia Public Safety leaders have helped to develop the government structure and policy provisions needed so that Lessons Learned during a tragedies they are implemented through me the people who sit on the states during the surmontil signing of the governors often letter and the response of 9 11 at the pentagon. Im joined here today by my colleague from virginia who have been and should meddle with our efforts to engage virginia public stakeholders including Law Enforcement fire ems and emergency management. Megan peterson or Homeland Security staff director our state point of contact have been instrumental in our efforts to review firstnet documents. Fire chief americus Charles Warner from charlottesville is recognized as a National Leader in the subject of Communications Innovation for Public Safety. Terry hall serves in our state interoperability as Committee Chair was passed past present and publish them and have lent their expertise enduser service to improve emergency to medications and virginia nationally. Therefore virginias decision to opt in and talk to now is based on years of study our reach and collaboration with our public stakeholders firstnet and now with at t. Moving word we will work with firstnet at t to maximize the benefit for the commonwealth Public Safety at the committee. Essential to this collaborative effort is her commitment to ensuring adequate coverage especially for responders in rural communities. It is also critical to expedite the effort to provide missioncritical voice and enhanced location capabilities in 2019 to adequately protect our men and women in uniform. As governor mcauliffe mentioned last week are decision marks another significant step forward in advancing broadband capabilities for Public Safety but our work continues. As more states find in this report are now collectively we will continue to provide feedback for congress through firstnet at t. We can realize the ultimate goal of furthering emergency clinic patients in creating a secure and Reliable Network for Public Safety. I look forward to answering any of your questions. Thank you very much. Now dr. Darcy the professor at the university of mississippi jackson. You are recognized five minutes. Thank you for the opportunity to testify on firstnet and what the end opportunities specifically in the medical arena. I am an alert is a physician by trade Public Safety by background and passion to serve as the medical director for the mississippi director medical service could be that the Research Clinical care and coronation of that care in the rural parts of our state. As many of you know mississippi has challenges and health care unlike any other state. Challenges that are accident rates chronic disease location of providers and with limited providers as our state progresses forward. The integration of a reliable Public Safety Broadband Network is vital for us to make things happen in mississippi that we cannot currently do. Mississippi has been one of leading states in telemedicine and Public Safety communications for a number of years. After Hurricane Katrina mississippi developed a land mobile radio system and now has 30,000 users in this revolutionize the way we Practice Medicine in mississippi from a trooper on the side to run his medical care to the Critical Care teams flying helicopters and ambulances. In 2010 mississippi one of broadband opportunity were to overlay broadband data over an existing plant opal radio network. We believe this is a vital next step to integrate and improve our health care. We still firmly believe that. During the development of the system we have learned many lessons on how to deploy, develop an integrated system to improve Public Safety and medical care for rural providers. Firstnet has the potential to meet many of these needs. Many of us in small rural states dont have capacity were meaningful capacity in rural a america where we need it most and medicine. Its very easy to coverage outside the stores but now that coverage in the middle of nowhere to provide lifesaving medical care. Whether strom on the side of the road or chronic medical disease keeping those patients out of the Health Care System at home with the same level of care. Much of the same discussions going on at the rooms we believe firstnet broadband are vital to that discussion to move forward. As rolling out any questions from our experience deploying nearly an entire network and take the questions. From a medical perspective we need reliable Public Safety data communications. Its a vital and the biggest questions we have our service and preemption. We embark on the niquette at to improve health care in her state had one example is the grant received from Homeland Security the rural could merge the administration where we are collect data on how to move for. We have talked about retooled to dassey we are going to do innovation and r d network to look at the ability to take the same data and happily transmit over wireless system . We believe this is a vital step in mississippi and other states going for it. In closing i appreciate the opportunity to be here and talk about medicine. As i see it Going Forward this is the vital link for us. We have to get innovative in Rural America and this is one of the ways we can do it. We hope this committee in its oversight role will help firstnet become what we all need as we help them as well. The vast areas of the state that are currently underserved in Broadband Service proves important to know not to take issue with the large events we talked about Hurricane Katrina 9 11 but i challenge you that these events have the same impact on Rural America almost weekly. A three car accident in rural suzuki rural hawaii rural nevada is the same resources as one of the largest cities and thats where we need it the most. The possibility of firstnet is to provide the resources to allow local Public Safety officials to push the boundaries of possibilities and they are there and we can push them. And do what we do in mississippi challenge the norms of the traditional Public Safety role to reach out and do things better and the things we have not yet done. First that could allow us to do that. Thank you for your time. Thank you very much dr. Darcy. Next we will hear from the Government Accountability Office Issues director. Mr. Goldstein did i pronounce your name correct way . S. Mr. Chairman. You are recognized for five minutes. Thank you. Good morning chairman wicker Ranking Member schatz members schatz members of the 20 thank you for the opportunity to discuss our june 2017 report on First Responder Network Authority firstnet which we are publicly releasing today. Reprints are reported and testified on firstnet. My remarks are based on the report examines firstnets report. Please read that report in its entirety. I think you want to go to lunch. Network reliability security and interoperability challenges and its research and efforts to address them. Plants oversee the deployment of an network and in our part we recommend that firstnet fully explore tribal stakeholder concerns and assess its longterm staffing needs. Firstnet agree to these recommendations. Firstnet is charged with establishing nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network that is reliable secure and interoperable. Firstnet is consulting with a variety of stakeholders. March. 17 firstnet awarded a 25 Year Contract to at t tube told operate and maintain the network. Firstnet oversight of at ts performance is very important in the scope the network and the duration of the contracts. Among gaos findings in the report are the following. First firstnet has conducted he efforts to establish Network Releasing the proposal and rewarding the Network Contract to at t. At t will be responsible for the overall Design Develop a production and evolution of the network. Additionally firstnet consulted with state and local federal and tribal stakeholders. State officials gao contacted were generally satisfied with the efforts to engage them however tribal stakeholders gao contact six some concerns that firstnet did not fully engage in effective mitigation with tribes. Firstnet discharge the right of mechanisms such as point of contact and working group. Individuals the first 10 knowledge of the tribes experiences are not able to represent travel views among firstnets although firstnet is required to consult with the tribes through points of contact the key principle affecting travel to mitigation is to seek full understanding of travel concerned and reach consensus where possible by exploring actions to address tribal stakeholders concerned. Firstnet could improve its relations and better meet stakeholder needs. Second according to stakeholders gao contacted firstnet facing various challenges to assure the networks interoperability. For example stakeholders greatest concerns related to providing coverage to rural areas in buildings or underground ensuring the Networks Overall resilience in cybersecurity and managing frameworks for User Identity credential users Access Management and prioritization of users of the network. Firstnet has taken actions to address these challenges such as by opening a test lab to test Public Safety devices and applications before to point them on the network or the majority stakeholders contacted were satisfied with the efforts but many noted concerns remain about how the network will be implemented in its overall viability. Third firstnet established offices to oversee its Network Contractors develop policies and procedures to guide Contract Administration including management and oversight and receiving assistance from another of early agency with contract experience. Although firstnet plans to assume full responsibility in the future. For example firstnet established the office to oversee the contractors performance and facilitate Quality Assurance of contract deliverables among other things. Firstnet has not yet conducted a longterm projection for staff these for this office in recent months. As a result firstnet assures it will have sufficient resources to handle responsibilities over time. Assigning adequate resources including assessing resource is the key practice for planning and executing contract oversight. First i would deannas better position to understand and staffing needs and respond to changes as it assumes full responsibility of contacts in the future. Mr. Chairman this concludes my statement and id be happy to address any questions. Inc. You. We will be involved in some q a in a few moments. Mr. Sambar we will next hear from at t. Glad to have you with us. Thank you mr. Chairman. Chairman wicker Ranking Member schatz and members of the committee im chris sambar Senior Vice President of firstnet currently responsible for at ts fulfillment of the firstnet contract including designing and executing on the Business Model that will support the nationwide First Responders network. At t is honored to have been chosen to provide firstnet to build and manage the networks. I view this mission is a special opportunity for at t and its employees to demonstrate their continued commitment to Public Safety and our communities. Im especially grateful for the opportunity to affirm this committee that at t is committed to delivering a dedicated Interoperable Network that will give First Responders the technology they need to effectively communicate and collaborate across agencies and jurisdictions. The at t team that i latest dedicated exclusively to firstnet could expect this group to have several employees by the sierzan doesnt hire people across the country of the broad range of skill sets to help us ramp up our network buildout. Overall at t expects to spend 40 billion over the lifetime of this contract still a unique interoperable i. T. Based highspeed and mobile network encrypted in its core that will provide First Responders priorities primarily users with preemption and all the other users during times of emergency and network congestion. The First Responders network will be connected to and leveraged off at ts worldclass telecommunications platform valued at nearly 180 billion including a Wireless Network that reaches 99. 6 of u. S. Population. In addition the at t will support First Responders with a dedicated Security Operations center and Health Center will provide first under the highly secure application ecosystem as well as the highly competitive flexible pricing on equipment and services that they select for their unique needs. One of the most important resources that at t brings to bear in the new First Responders network is our best in Class National Disaster Recovery team. We have spent more than 130,000 working hours on exercises and Disaster Recovery deployment over the last few decades. This team combines network of the structure support Recovery Engineering Software Application and boots on the ground so fulltime and volunteer at t Disaster Response team members bernard support differs on network at t will increase the recovery fleet by adding 72 customdesigned vehicles for the first mission. Firstnet is not just about todays Technology Enhancements is about tomorrows technological promises. Firstnet at t will continue to innovate and evolve the First Responders network. Possibilities include near realtime information on traffic conditions which can help determine the best route for First Responders. Vendors and cameras for police and firefighters to give them better Situational Awareness and camera equipped drones and rove bots that will be able to deliver realtime imagery. I first met efforts are expected to greet 10,000 u. S. Jobs over the next few years as well as significant Public Private infrastructure investment. We believe the benefits of a nationwide interoperable versus bandar network to build the states will come. Im happy to report as of today five states have opted in virginia, wyoming, arkansas, kentucky and most recently iowa. As i describe in my written statement that significant benefits of the states and others that will often in the future will avoid the longterm risks associated with funding building and managing and maintaining Standalone Networks states and territories of optin provide Public Safety agencies with access to the competitive rates enabled by at t and those rates enabled us to be selected by the First Responders authority. As the awardee. Mr. Chairman ranking number schatz im all members of this committee thank you again for having me here and i look forward to addressing any questions you have. Thank you very much mr. Sub mr. Sub mr. Sambar. In terms of the ceo of firstnet mr. Poth, did i pronounce your name correctly . Its so one syllable things im not much of an accomplishment. At any rate you are recognized. Then i think you very much and good morning chairman wicker and Ranking Member schatz and members members of his committee. Thank you for inviting me to testify for this is my second time appearing before the subcommittee representing firstnet the men and women of Public Safety. Alas testify before the subcommittee a little more than a year ago and spoke to you about what should be future the future of a nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network. Today the message that i bring is one of tangible progress including a nationwide contract of delivery of a state plan in the news at 5 states have opted into the plan. We have a clear path forward for excessive appointment of Firstnet Network could elect to take a moment and thank Public Safety for everything they do for this as we were for everyday. They are missioncritical serving the citizens of United States advice of my support maybe never lost focus on the goal of delivering the best possible network to the men and women who protect our communities and neighborhoods and their families and put themselves in harms way without hesitation every single day. Firstnet is a comp should regular the past few weeks let alone the past 12 months since i last testified before the sistine penalty last year we have continued our reaching consultation efforts with their state Partners Holding more than 1200 outreach events across all 56 states and territories completed the rfp process including evaluating multiple competitive proposals having the court of federal claims verify and agree that our process was open and transparent and competitive and ultimately selected at t is our. We have created and delivered state plans on june 19250 states to territories and the district of columbia three weeks ahead of schedule and has mentioned the five governors from the five great states that have opted in. None of this could be possible if a Public Private framework congress established for the Firstnet Network by leveraging private sector resources infrastructure cost savings public by the partnerships and to deploy operate and maintain the system. Firstnet will be deployed quickly efficiently and cost effectively. After vigorous competitive yet fair and open Transparent Procurement process at t was selected to deployed the network on behalf of Public Safety peter proud to have at t on board as our Network Hardware in this missioncritical project and when we hit the ground running on day one to deliver Public Safety. With the firstnet solution or nations First Responders will receive Specialized Services far and above what they have today over firstclass Broadband Network dedicated to local communications. Using existing up a structure firstnet will be deployed rapidly much faster than anyone thought possible. This was driven by Public Safety and put. They waited too long and fought too hard for this network. We must also realize the Public Safety committee qishan major technical and more critical day by day as we move further into her highly connected internet of things world but thats why firstnet at t will continue work handinhand with Public Safety to ensure it meets their needs today and tomorrow for the next 25 years. While there has been much success we still have work to do. The gaos test my references areas where firstnet has improved and still areas will we prescribe for more. Firstnet is committed to continuing to ascribe to the highest level of excellence in every area. The status quo is not in our vocabulary. Tribal consultation is a key part of our planning as part of firstnets commitment in engaging with 67th are recognized tribes firstnet adopted tribal consultation policy to ensure the tribal Emergency Responders able to access the benefits of these nationwide systems once we have have from the governors. I want to thank the not the whole nation who was in attendance today for their support. Ultimately the most important action sought my mistake is to continue to work every day with First Responders and Public Safety. Youve heard me say that this is their network. Firstnet has been entrusted by Public Safety to deliver what they need in order to keep us safe. This is what drives us at firstnet we will ensure that we accomplish the Public Safety Excellent Service reliability and performance. Thank you again for your support and i look forward to answering your questions. Thank you very much. Let me just begin by asking mr. Sambar and mr. Poth, mr. Goldstein says the gao report was released today. Did either of you get a sneak preview . We certainly did at firstnet. Gao has been a great partner we have worked with some handinhand as they were developing the report and a recommendation. Mr. Poth having seen the draft copy i think he responded to some of the items that mr. Goldstein mentioned reticulated the tribal concerns. Is there any other response would like to put on the record in this hearing in reply to the report . Mr. Goldstein identifies two areas that they thought we need to focus on, are stepping longterm staffing for our Program Office and we have addressed that quickly and in our full recommendation we have been doing a great deal of work on that. So relates to the tribal we have been a great deal of work over the last year and continue to improve our travel consultation. We have adopted tribal policies and wythers save the Advisory Committee have established a Tribal Working Group which is 15 members from 13 different tribes and we continue ss state average to work with the states and all the tribes within those states to continue to improve education so they have an appreciation of what firstnet can bring to bear for them. Mr. Sambar you got a sneak hate to. Is there anything you would like to add to supplement . Just to piggyback on the tribal question the issue noted in a gao report as we understand there over 550 better recognize tribal lands in the majority of them are in california and alaska at around 16 since march we have done over 1000 between at t and firstnet drop the country. We have just over 400 occasions been in situations or in situations where this is where we could invite trouble and the sony time we happy opportunity to invite him to bring information to make them feel welcome and together and put most importantly we have done that. Our goal is to reach as many as possible and the meetings will continue that was a of the year so our goal is as much engagement as possible. Thank you. Dr. Darcy let me mention the wireless medications commission has expressed concerns about firstnets amendment to hardening the network. You mentioned this in your testimony the firstnet infrastructure to be hardened. Have you discussed its importance and is a more important in rural areas and also your experience on how the broadband needs differ with respect to providing emergency medical service. Tanks for the question. I will give an example. Years ago we had a tornado as you well remember the tech of the hospital in the northeast part of our state. The Medical Center has a Robust Program to respond to that and we did pay the challenge that was a took out a couple of commercial towers but it did not after a fairly close hit take out one of her heart and Public Safety carriers. What that did for us is we lost all ability to communicate data out of the area which was vital in evacuating the hospital nursing home and recovering the people that were there. That is the piece that is a concern that i think we share, all of us here about how do we make that as hardened as possible . At in terms of rural and we can do a lot more as her team is showing mississippi and other states we know about events well before they get rushed to a hospital so we can reach out and touch a stroke patient in the middle of the delta. We can dramatically increase the chances of survival. Currently we are doing that over radio has worked very well but now imagine that in urban in rural areas. Urban areas is vital to the medical world but here we are five minutes from multiple hospitals. Now take that as 45 or 50 minutes away and what we can do with broadband data and that time is truly lifesaving and saving health care dollars. Theres a nexus that firstnet can combine both of those. Thank you and mr. Firstnet i will take another round later on and let you respond. At this point senator schatz has graciously yielded his time. Mr. Chairman i will be merciful and i will insert the Opening Statement into the record and just note i am delighted to be working with senator klobuchar on updating the 911 systems which so many of them are still stuck in the analog era. Thank you senator schatz for your graciousness and your courtesy. I want mr. Poth if you can explain to the committee and a little more detail why at ts bid offered the best value on Public Safety. Im very pleased that firstnet has finally entered into this longterm contract with the private sector partner and this idea of interoperability has bedeviled us forever. It is a devil does as senator warner notes on the Armed Services committee and our nations military as well and they are finally getting the interoperability of our radios but explain a little more about why you offered the best . A process that firstnet undertook since our inception is to understand truly what the Public Safety needs are and how can you maximize the Broadband Network technology. Through that process and over the years we were able to develop an rfp was 16 objectives that the state in Public Safety felt were important and we put that into a formal proposal process and a highly competitive one with the goal of looking for at t or another vendor. Or not looking for someone they could maximize the value of Public Safety and also provide Financial Sustainability thats required for this to be successful for years to come. Through that process and over an 18 month period numerous bids were in and they were analyzed with a great level of detail and through that process the department of the interior sent us acquisition that works. At t came out as the prevailing solution and prevailing company. My next question is why . The value they are bringing with their existing infrastructure their ability and size their Financial Sustainability to be able to take on something of this nature and their lowest risk approach to implementing this in the shortest time was truly some of the value propositions that made them more competitive with some of the other kids that we ran lighting. Mr. Sambar anything else that this offers to state and local First Responders at that than him saying that thats why they picked you . Yes senator there is one specific benefit that i would point to that few Wireless Companies were companies the world could offer which we offered after discussions with firstnet. The initial rf be that firstnet release contemplated building out a Broadband Network using bandwidth 14 and we responded accordingly that through discussion we decided we would extend it beyond the spectrum allocated for First Responders in 2012. We said we would open up all the spectrum of bands are at t so that means is the data they have immediate access to at ts network and they will see the benefits firstnet on all wireless towers from at t so i think thats a tremendous benefit that firstnet was not expecting. You will have a level playing phil level playing the overall device manufactures. Absolutely serve. Deputy secretary brown, virginia became the first state to announce that it would often to the Public Safety wireless Broadband Network. There must have been some folks in virginia that suggested that you opt out of the network and charge your own path. Tell me the benefits to virginias First Responders of the governors decision to opt in . At thank you senator. The decision was related based on looking at the benefits that come with an opt in, the media priority and Preemption Services for those who are subscribers to the network and the major things senators to back that comes at no cost to the commonwealth. We have been disproportionately impacted by sequestration and other aspects to the governor had to close at 300 milliondollar price tag this is a looking at the cost it would take to build a network and sustain it, this was not feasible. The benefits were clear in terms of preemption deployable assets being offered and the fact that our Public Safety stakeholders would guide the network. We look forward to again ensuring the rural buildup is there and the services and capabilities come out with the network. We looked at it closely but given some of the unique features of virginia including the fact that we will be and not grading a new governor within six months we thought it would be best begin building the network with firstnet at t versus beginning this massive multibillion dollar project opting out and taking on all the 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] this morning to make a look at the global influence at the press. A panel of journalists joined an talk about how traditional and new Media Outlets are influencing the narrative on World Affairs heard that of play that 9 30 a. M. Eastern on cspan3. I live coverage of the commissioning of the uss Gerald R Ford is saturday at 10 00 a. M. Eastern. The super carrier is the navys hightechuclear power air carrier. President trump will attend the ceremony and deliver remarks to the more than 14,000 people expected to attend. 10 00 a. M. Eastern at cspan and cspan. Org, and listen live on the cspan radio app. Live today on cspan, washington journal is next. At noon eastern, we are live from Georgetown University for a conference conversation on u. S. Trade policy and the trump administration. Coming up in one hour, the 18nversation on the 20 federal budget. Caps of the randy Migration Policy Institute talks about the department homes meant Homeland Security announcement to increase unskilled words are dutch worker visas by 15,000 this year. Worker visas by 15,000 this year. Is going beyond any sought i would have ever had for myself. We love this job, we love this department, and a plan to continue to do so as long as that is appropriate. That was attorney general jeff sessions, vowing to take in his post at the helm of the justice department, despite President Donald Trump statement in the you New York Times interview that he regretted giving sessions the job after he recused himself from the russia investigation. Yesterday, white house spokesperson Sarah Huckabee sanders