Audit of FirstNet Authority’s Oversight of Service Availability for the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network

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Title Full

Date Issued

Thursday, April 9, 2026

Submitting OIG

Department of Commerce OIG

Agencies Reviewed/Investigated

Department of Commerce

Components

First Responder Network Authority

Report Number

OIG-26-015-A

Report Description

We determined whether the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet Authority) is ensuring that the Nationwide Public Safety Broadband Network (NPSBN) is achieving service availability requirements. We found that overall, FirstNet Authority did not ensure that the NPSBN met service availability requirements. We found that FirstNet Authority did not adequately assess contractor performance to ensure that AT&T achieved service availability requirements. Specifically,

• FirstNet Authority’s approach to measuring service availability fails to provide a comprehensive assessment, covering only a fraction of cell sites and of the NPSBN’s approximately 3-million-square-mile coverage footprint.
• FirstNet Authority did not ensure that contractor-provided information was reliable and accurate and that contract requirements were met.
• FirstNet Authority did not verify that service availability requirements were met for the Pacific territories.

Report Type

Audit

Agency Wide

Yes

Number of Recommendations

Questioned Costs

Funds for Better Use

Report updated under NDAA 5274

External Link

https://www.oig.doc.gov/reports/?entry=66119

Open Recommendations

This report has 4 open recommendations.

Recommendation Number	Significant Recommendation	Recommended Questioned Costs	Recommended Funds for Better Use
1	No	$0	$0
We recommend that the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Administrator, in coordination with the Department’s Senior Procurement Executive and Director of Acquisition Management, direct FirstNet Authority’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Procurement Officer to: Ensure that future NPSBN contracts and task orders sufficiently define performance standards and measurements of success for achieving requirements prior to their award to protect the government’s interest in accordance with the FAR.
2	No	$0	$0
We recommend that the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Administrator, in coordination with the Department’s Senior Procurement Executive and Director of Acquisition Management, direct FirstNet Authority’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Procurement Officer to: Ensure service availability requirements for the 5G network and Pacific territories are clearly defined within the contract.
3	No	$0	$0
We recommend that the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Administrator, in coordination with the Department’s Senior Procurement Executive and Director of Acquisition Management, direct FirstNet Authority’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Procurement Officer to: Modify the current NPSBN QASP to ensure that: (a) The method for measuring service availability is designed to protect the government’s interest and ensure that services rendered by AT&T meet contract requirements and that the measurement provides a complete and accurate assessment of service availability. (b) Surveillance methods are sufficiently defined and detailed to verify that AT&T’s performance meets service availability contract requirements. (c) A performance metric is established for the Pacific territories that is designed to protect the government’s interest, ensures that services tendered by AT&T meet contract requirements, and provides a complete and accurate assessment of service availability. (d) Performance remediation actions are detailed for service availability when noncompliance occurs.
4	No	$0	$0
We recommend that the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information Administrator direct FirstNet Authority’s Chief Executive Officer and Chief Procurement Officer to: Conduct sufficient surveillance of service availability prior to acceptance of contract deliverables, including obtaining appropriate data required for oversight, performing random audits, reviewing AT&T’s QCP results, and applying timely remediation procedures in instances of noncompliance, as directed in the QASP and the FAR.