New federal office to oversee emergency 911 systems and FirstNet

What it does

This bill creates a new federal office within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to oversee public safety communications, including Next Generation 9-1-1 systems and the First Responder Network Authority. The office will be headed by a career civil servant who will manage federal grants, coordinate policy, oversee technology development, and conduct annual audits of the FirstNet program.

Why we flagged it

The bill's core function is establishing administrative oversight of emergency communications systems and federal grant programs. It is a straightforward organizational measure creating a career position to coordinate existing public safety initiatives.

What the text implies

• Centralizing FirstNet oversight under a single career official may streamline coordination but could also concentrate decision-making power over a critical national emergency infrastructure in one position.
• The bill grants broad authority to conduct audits 'through a contractor' — this outsourcing mechanism is not detailed and could create accountability gaps if contractor selection is not transparent.
• The office's duty to 'communicate public safety communications policies to public entities, including the Commission and Congress, or private entities' is vague and could enable selective information sharing depending on implementation.

Who it affects

Ordinary citizens benefit from centralized federal oversight of emergency communications infrastructure and 9-1-1 modernization. The creation of a dedicated career position with audit authority improves accountability and coordination of public safety systems that directly affect emergency response quality.

Who stands to gain

• telecommunications contractors (FirstNet implementation and maintenance)
• consulting/audit firms (contractor-based audit services)

Named in the bill

NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration), FirstNet (First Responder Network Authority), FCC (Federal Communications Commission), Department of Commerce, Next Generation 9-1-1 (NG911)

Where it stands

• Feb 24, 2025 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
• Feb 24, 2025 — Referred to House Committee on Energy and Commerce · Congress.gov: “Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology”
• Jan 15, 2026 — Markup held in committee · Congress.gov: “Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held”

Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.

Money around this bill

2 lobbying clients named this bill on 2 disclosure filings across 1 quarter, Jun 2026 to Jun 2026. Those filings disclosed $5,700,000 in lobbying spend. A filing names 25 bills on average, so that figure is what each filing reported, not a share belonging to this bill.

More lobbying clients named this bill than 41% of bills with at least one filing.

Kat Cammack, the sponsor, reported $799,000 in PAC receipts in the 2026 cycle.

• Verizon Communications Inc and Various Subsidiaries — $3,050,000 on 1 filing
• AT&T Services Inc and Its Affiliates — $2,650,000 on 1 filing

Lobbying Disclosure Act filings through Jul 20, 2026. A filing shows who paid to lobby on a bill it names, not what changed.