AT&T Inc. announced that longtime FirstNet advocate Jim Bugel will be the new president of the carrier's FirstNet program—the unit charged with building and maintaining the nationwide public-safety broadband network (NPSBN) for the FirstNet Authority—amid several changes in the company's leadership.Bugel will succeed Jason Porter, who has led AT&T's FirstNet unit for the past three years and also has served as the president of AT&T's public-sector business since early 2021. When the leadership changes become effective Sunday, Bugel will be president of the FirstNet program and will report to Zee Hussain, who is AT&T's new public-sector president after leading AT&T enterprise sales teams in the healthcare, manufacturing, and transportation industries.Porter has been reassigned to work in AT&T's supply-chain division, according to a company spokesperson.Bugel is very familiar with the FirstNet mission, having served as vice president of the FirstNet team since AT&T won the FirstNet contract in 2017 and having supported the 2012 legislation that created the FirstNet Authority. AT&T named Bugel to head the company's FirstNet unit at an interesting time in the program.

AT&T is contracted to finish its initial five-year buildout of the NPSBN by the end of March 2023, so future system enhancements will depend largely on the FirstNet Authority's reinvestment efforts. The FirstNet Authority is conducting a search for a new CEO after the resignation of Ed Parkinson in the spring. In addition, the FCC is considering the renewal of the FirstNet Authority's license to the 700 MHz Band 14 spectrum, with a decision expected before next month's 10-year anniversary of the license being granted in 2012.

Many Beltway sources believe the FCC will establish new rules for the 4.9 GHz band—previously dedicated to public safety—that could have direct or indirect implications for FirstNet. Several public-safety representatives applauded the choice of Bugel. Western Fire Chiefs Association CEO Jeff Johnson—a former vice chair for the FirstNet Authority—noted Bugel's experience with FirstNet and detailed knowledge of the history surrounding the program.

Public Safety Broadband Technology Association Vice President and Treasurer Dick Mirgon—a FirstNet consultant and a former APCO president who worked with Johnson and others to advocate for the 2012 legislation—echoed this sentiment.