First schools and now first responders, the FCC is obviously determined to set everyone in America up with high-speed Internet.
According to National Journal, the Federal Communications Commission will fund a high-speed Internet system for all first responders — firefighters, police officers and the like — across the nation.
The network, called FirstNet, will cost about $7 billion. The FCC will pay for the project using the more than $10 billion it acquired from auctioning off the rights to certain wireless airwaves to cellular companies.
The remainder of the money will go toward federal debt reduction.
Through FirstNet, first responders will be able to communicate and send photos and videos in emergency situations. The idea for the high-speech communication system was mentioned in the 9/11 Commission Report, and Congress directed the FCC in 2012 to raise money for the project.
Though the government agency has already raised plenty of money to fund its construction, FirstNet will likely take several years to complete.
How did the FCC manage to raise a whopping $10 billion off of one auction? Apparently, carriers like AT&T and Verizon are willing to pay up for the right to more wireless frequencies because they help companies better handle data used by their customers via cell phone.
This is the second time this week that the FCC demonstrated its dedication to making high-speed Internet widely available. An official with the government agency said Monday that Chairman Tom Wheeler hopes to raise taxes in order to put Wi-Fi in every school.
