Colorado to Transform Communications for Public Safety; Governor Hickenlooper Approves Buildout Plan for First Responder Network

RESTON, Va., Dec. 18, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- Colorado is advancing communications capabilities for first responders. Today, Governor John Hickenlooper announced his decision to accept the First Responder Network Authority* and AT&T** plan to deliver a wireless broadband network to the state's public safety community. FirstNet will bring advanced technologies that will help Colorado's first responders statewide save lives and protect communities.

"We are opting in to allow FirstNet to make an investment in Colorado that promises to make our state more resilient against threats to our safety," said Governor John Hickenlooper. "We, together with Colorado's Governing Board, are confident that the investment will not only benefit public safety, but also provide much needed telecommunications infrastructure in rural areas of our state."

AT&T, in a public-private partnership with the First Responder Network Authority, will build, operate and maintain a highly secure wireless broadband communications network for Colorado's public safety community at no cost to the state. The FirstNet network will drive innovation and create an entire system of modernized devices, apps and tools for first responders.

"We need to connect our first responders now. From rural to urban communities, public safety professionals throughout Colorado put their lives at risk every day responding to disasters and critical situations. That is why the state of Colorado spent years visiting with public safety teams statewide, thoroughly reviewing solutions for Colorado," said Eric Tade, Chief of Denver Fire and Chair of the board reviewing the state's options. "Our conclusion: opting in to FirstNet is the best solution for Colorado."

Colorado is the 40^th state or territory to announce its decision to opt in to the First Responder Network Authority and AT&T plan, and the 11^th state to do so after evaluating proposals from both First Responder Network Authority/AT&T and other potential vendors. This decision brings public safety the overall best value solution with the least risk.

"FirstNet has worked closely with Colorado's dedicated public safety community and the state of Colorado to ensure the best possible plan for the state, its first responders and residents," said FirstNet Responder Network Authority CEO Mike Poth. "I want to thankGov. Hickenlooper for his thoughtful, thorough decision. Colorado has been on the forefront of testing public safety broadband, and FirstNet and AT&T are excited to continue this partnership to deliver innovation for the brave men and women on the front lines."

The decision enables the First Responder Network Authority and AT&T to begin creating an entirely new wireless ecosystem for public safety communications. Colorado's first responder subscribers will have immediate access to quality of service, priority and preemption to voice and data across the FirstNet network.

By opting in to FirstNet, fire, police, EMS and other public safety workers subscribing to the service will have dedicated access to the information they need, when and where they need it – 24/7/365, like their mission.

"We applaud Gov. Hickenlooper for recognizing the benefits of opting in to the First Responder Network Authority and AT&T state plan for Colorado. It's been a very thorough process to ensure Colorado's first responders have the best tools to respond to crises," said Roberta Robinette, president, AT&T Colorado. "From wildfires and snowstorms to crowded events in downtown Denver, public safety tackles significant challenges every day. They have asked for and deserve a dedicated communications network to help them do what they do best: save lives. And we're proud to work with Colorado to deliver this much-needed network."

For more information on FirstNet, please go to FirstNet.gov/mediakit and att.com/FirstResponderNews. For more about the value FirstNet will bring to public safety, please go to FirstNet.com.

*About The First Responder Network Authority
The First Responder Network Authority is an independent authority within the U.S. Department of Commerce. Chartered in 2012, its mission is to ensure the building, deployment, and operation of the nationwide, broadband network that equips first responders to save lives and protect U.S. communities. Learn more at FirstNet.gov/mediakit and follow FirstNet (@FirstNetGov) on Facebook and Twitter for updates.

**About AT&T
AT&T Inc. (NYSE:T) helps millions around the globe connect with leading entertainment, business, mobile and high speed internet services. We offer the nation's best data network*** and the best global coverage of any U.S. wireless provider. We're one of the world's largest providers of pay TV. We have TV customers in the U.S. and 11 Latin American countries. Nearly 3.5 million companies, from small to large businesses around the globe, turn to AT&T for our highly secure smart solutions. 

AT&T products and services are provided or offered by subsidiaries and affiliates of AT&T Inc. under the AT&T brand and not by AT&T Inc. Additional information about AT&T products and services is available at about.att.com. Follow our news on Twitter at @ATT, on Facebook at facebook.com/att and on YouTube at youtube.com/att.

© 2017 AT&T Intellectual Property. All rights reserved. AT&T, the Globe logo and other marks are trademarks and service marks of AT&T Intellectual Property and/or AT&T affiliated companies. All other marks contained herein are the property of their respective owners.

***Claim based on the Nielsen Certified Data Network Score. Score includes data reported by wireless consumers in the Nielsen Mobile Insights survey, network measurements from Nielsen Mobile Performance and Nielsen Drive Test Benchmarks for Q2 + Q3 2017 across 121 markets.

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SOURCE AT&T Inc.

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