 other emergency responders during cyber and physical attacks, and natural disasters. Following 9/11/01, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) set about making a plan for a nationwide dedicated interoperable wireless network with spectrum (air rights) to be set aside for the exclusive use of the government and first responders. The FCC's plan recommended setting aside a portion of spectrum, the D block, to be used to build a nationwide network. The D block had been freed up when national broadcast television networks transitioned from analog to digital for TV transmissions. Part of the spectrum previously used for analog television was made available for the FirstNet service. By 2006, the FCC plan was in place, but Congress needed to approve the plan and allocate funds to build the network. At this time the plan faced opposition from some in Congress and from wireless carriers. Members of Congress, federal officials, and national public safety organizations held a series of meetings, and by 2007 had ironed out their differences. By 2012, spectrum had been allocated and Congress authorized the creation of the public- private First Responder Network Authority, known as FirstNet, an independent arm of the www.TechnicalPDF.com Department of Commerce. In 2017, FirstNet awarded AT&T a 25-year contract to build a wireless network dedicated to the use of first responders in emergencies. The U.S. Congress allocated $7 billion for building the network. The money was part of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Every state in the United States is required to have a compatible wireless network. They can opt in to the AT&T network, which AT&T would build in their state, or build their own first responder network. All states' networks must be compatible with the FirstNet being built by AT&T by December 2017; all 50 states had agreed to join the FirstNet network. In August 2017, Verizon announced that it is also building a national public safety network that will be separate from its commercial networ