FirstNet Authority Seeks 'After-Action' Report From AT&T on Feb. 22 Outage
The FirstNet Authority is asking AT&T for a full report on the Feb. 22 outage that cut off service on much of the carrier’s wireless network (see 2402220058), officials said Wednesday during a meeting of the authority's board. FirstNet CEO…
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Joe Wassel said last week the authority was looking at how to prevent similar outages (see 2402290055). AT&T “took immediate action” to prioritize and restore service to public safety agencies on the FirstNet network and most were back online early that morning, hours before service was reestablished for some commercial customers, said Richard Carrizzo, authority chair. FirstNet is asking AT&T to submit an “after-action report” under its contract with the authority “to assess the root cause of the outage,” said Vice Chair Renee Gordon. “We understand the importance of this and will continue to hold AT&T accountable,” she said. “We have a very serious mission, and we take our mission very seriously,” Wassel said Wednesday. The outage impacted first responders “and for that … we are very sorry,” he said. The authority will work closely with AT&T to identify the cause “and implement strategies for corrective actions to prevent an outage like this in the future,” he said. The authority’s emphasis is on rapidly addressing problems and communicating quickly with first responders, he said. In telecom “outages are unavoidable” but we “can lessen the blow by planning and preparing,” he said. The outage was “a powerful reminder, and an important reminder, that there’s always more to be done,” Wassel said. Brian Crawford, chair of the Finance and Investment Committee, reported on an announcement last month that AT&T and FirstNet plan strategic investments of more than $8 billion over 10 years in the public safety network (see 2402130060). “This is a significant next step in the lifecycle of FirstNet” and “will ensure the network keeps pace with advances in technology,” Crawford said. The board convened in Honolulu and members and authority staff met this week with Hawaiian authorities to discuss lessons from last year’s fires in Maui (see 2308110064), officials said. This was the board’s first quarterly meeting outside the continental U.S., Wassel said.