Swenson to Replace Ginn as FirstNet Chair
Wireless industry executive Sue Swenson is replacing Sam Ginn as FirstNet board chair, the Commerce Department said Wednesday. Ginn will retire from the board when his term expires in August, the department said. FirstNet watchers said Swenson is a respected telecom executive playing a key role at the nascent public safety network. The announcement means more change at the top of FirstNet. General Manager Bill D'Agostino said last month he was leaving after less than a year, as questions continue to swirl around the network (CD April 16 p1).
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Swenson, who has been vice chair since late last year, led FirstNet’s spectrum lease negotiations with four NTIA Broadband Technology Opportunities Program grant recipients. She previously held top positions at firms including Cellular One, Leap Wireless and T-Mobile.
FirstNet released a statement from Swenson, in which she said she had worked closely with Ginn, especially since becoming vice chair (http://bit.ly/SRiELa). “Our work together will ensure that FirstNet does not lose any momentum during this transition,” she said. “My number one priority is the implementation of our strategic program roadmap.”
Through much of Ginn’s tenure, the board’s “primary focus” was to “actually be FirstNet rather than just a board,” said Brian Fontes, National Emergency Number Association CEO. Fontes said Swenson is well regarded in industry and has been “engaged fully with FirstNet since her appointment to the board.”
Former Seattle Chief Technology Officer Bill Schrier, FirstNet’s point of contact in Washington state, said the departure of Ginn was no surprise since his term is up in August. “I'm certainly pleased to see this announcement at this time, at the end of May, rather than waiting until August, because it gives continuity to the FirstNet effort,” Schrier said. “It also signals continuity to those of us out in the states” working on FirstNet, he said.
FirstNet “continues to make progress toward fulfilling its mission to create the country’s first nationwide broadband network dedicated to helping our nation’s first responders,” said Commerce Secretary Penny Pritzker (http://1.usa.gov/1hzmCxR). As FirstNet “enters the next phase in its development,” Swenson brings “seasoned management experience in the telecommunications field to carry out this important mission,” Pritzker said. Swenson “has been a tremendous asset to the board since her appointment nearly two years ago,” said House Commerce Committee ranking member Henry Waxman, D-Calif.