AT&T, Nat’l Fraternal Order of Police Form FirstNet Education Partnership

AT&T and the National Fraternal Order of Police have entered into an agreement to conduct an educational effort aimed at promoting the benefits of implementing the First Responder Network for law enforcement activities.

The agreement will focus on educating FOP’s more than 351K members on the LTE network and providing support to the FOP’s Disaster Area Response Team, AT&T said Friday.

Jason Porter, senior vice president for the FirstNet program at AT&T, said the company’s partnership with FOP is meant to address needs to establish a “reliable connection” for frontline law enforcement personnel.

“The opportunity to collaborate with the FOP will go a long way in helping law enforcement officers get the information they need and want,” he added.

The federal government contracted AT&T to construct and operate FirstNet as part of a public-private partnership with the FirstNet Authority in 2017.

In 2012, the FOP joined various entities in calling for government action to address needs for critical public safety communications in the event of disasters and terrorist attacks.