The nation’s attempt to put together a public-safety wireless network gained leadership today as the FirstNet board of directors announced the hiring of Bill D’Agostino, Jr., as GM. D’Agostino will head up FirstNet’s ambitious attempt to construct a nationwide mobile broadband network to serve the public-safety community.
D’Agostino most recently served as executive director of network operations for Verizon Wireless covering Southern California, and previously held executive positions at a number of wireless carriers, including Sprint PCS, Airtouch and Pacific Bell.
FirstNet was established early last year to oversee the deployment of a nationwide public safety network, which has languished over the past decade following calls for such a network in the wake of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. The agency is expected to use billions of dollars generated from the Federal Communications Commission’s planned auction of 600 MHz spectrum assets to help fund the rollout of the public-safety network.
Participants and board members gathered last week ahead of the Competitive Carriers Association event in New Orleans to provide an update on the process. Board member Sue Swenson, who was recently tasked to negotiate with FirstNet grant recipients, provided a keynote address on the progress.
Panels at the event touched on a number of topics related to the FirstNet initiative, including an overview of the network plans:
And what benefits current commercial wireless carriers can offer to FirstNet:
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