Life without internet or cell service is an inconvenience for most of us, but in times of crisis, it’s a matter of life or death for first responders.
Several local law enforcement and rescue agencies gathered Tuesday in Southport to demonstrate and learn about a new network AT&T built with the federal government to ensure first responders don’t lose communication if an area sees outages or service interruptions.
Across the nation, it’s been used to create a special network for first responders in situations ranging from wildfires in Colorado, to tornadoes in Kentucky, Hurricanes in New Orleans and even to the presidential inauguration.
Military Ocean Terminal Sunny Point was one of two bases in the country chosen to pilot the First Net system in 2020, before the Army signed a formal contract with First Net last year.