The National Institute of Standards and Technology will expand its work in support of advanced wireless communication systems for first responders and emergency workers as a result of the Middle Class Tax relief and Job Creation Act signed into law by President Obama last month, the agency said.
The act allocates up to $300 million to NIST, dependent on funds received from future spectrum auctions through 2022.
The bill creates a new “First Responder Network Authority” (FirstNet) within the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration to build a broadband network for police, firefighters, emergency medical service professionals and other public safety officials.
