First responders throughout Newton County may soon have access to priority cell phone service after the Board of Supervisors voted to adopt AT&T’s FirstNet program.
Brian Taylor, E911 director for Newton County, said the program would increase communication for first responders and save the county money.
“It’d be unlimited data, unlimited talk and text and priority calls,” he said. “What that means is if there’s 100 people trying to get on a tower, and it has room for 30, someone will get bumped so you can get on.”
The program, which will be available to all first responders in the county through their individual plans, would cost $39.95 per month per phone, a cost that would replace first responders’ normal phone bill.
Taylor said installing FirstNet would not cost the county anything and would cost less than the current cell phone plans it already provides for employees. For first responders not on the county payroll, FirstNet is available to them through their individual plans for the same price.
However, Taylor said, the program is through AT&T, which was awarded a federal contract to implement the FirstNet program in 2012. First responders with other carriers would need switch to AT&T to opt into the system.
For more information about FirstNet, visit firstnet.gov.
