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AT&T Receives $6.5 Billion To Build Wireless Network For First Responders (reuters.com)
The First Responder Network, FirstNet, an independent arm of the Department of Commerce, has awarded a contract to AT&T to build a nationwide wireless broadband network to better equip first responders. "FirstNet will provide 20MHz of high-value, telecommunications spectrum and success-based payments of $6.5 billion over the next five years to support the network buildout," AT&T said in its announcement. Reuters reports: The effort to set up a public safety network was triggered by communications failures during the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks, when first responders were unable to effectively communicate as they used different technologies and networks. The FirstNet network will help emergency medical personnel, firefighters and police officers communicate vital information on one single network in real time, as opposed to using thousands of separate, incompatible systems. The rollout of the network, which will cover will cover all states, five U.S. territories and the District of Columbia, will begin later this year, AT&T said on Thursday. AT&T will spend about $40 billion over the period of the 25-year agreement to build, operate and maintain the network.
About 2 billion will be going to Randall L. Stephenson. Another 2 billions will be distributed among the executive officers. The remaining 2.5 billion will slowly sublimate over 5 years. When the project is nowhere near completion after 5 years and the money runs dry, government will allocate another $4 billion dollars to the project. About 1/5th of that 4 billion will be used to build the actual communication network...
Welcome to the new grifter economy. Think about it: within just the last week ATT has scored permission to sell ANY of your data to ANYONE willing to put up the $$. They have leanred that they no longer have to provide Lifeline service (reduced rates) to millions of poor people. And, finally, they get $6.5Billion to build a 911 network that should only cost about $500M, and even then will be unreliable in a true, national emergency. We can thank the GOP-appointed justices, the corrupt GOP Congress and our grifter POTUS for helping ATT, one of the worst telcos in the world.