One of the best parts of my job is traveling across Virginia and meeting with government, public safety and other community leaders who work every day to make our state a great place to live, work and raise a family.
In July, I had another one of those experiences in Culpeper.
Two of my colleagues and I joined Marc Rabourdin, Deputy District Director Office of Congressman Eugene Vindman (D-Va.), Culpeper County Sheriff Timothy Chilton and his team, and Virginia State Senator Bryce Reeves (R-Spotsylvania) for a discussion about FirstNet®, Built with AT&T – America’s public safety network – and its impact not just in Culpeper County but across the country.
We started the day by visiting a recently constructed cell site near Culpeper High School. This site includes Band 14 spectrum, which is nationwide, high-quality spectrum set aside by the federal government specifically for FirstNet. We look at Band 14 as public safety’s VIP lane, delivering truly dedicated connectivity when needed. When not in use by FirstNet subscribers, AT&T customers can enjoy Band 14’s added coverage and capacity.
The site is one of 1,000 new sites AT&T committed to building nationwide by the end of 2025 to provide more connectivity for public safety. We met the goal – and completed the build out ahead of schedule. The other sites in Virginia that were among the thousand are in Winchester, Smithfield, Richmond, Danville, Chase City, Manakin Sabot, Gloucester, Middleburg, Ashburn, Aldie, Purcellville, and Manassas.
This year, as part of our ongoing investments in Virginia, we’ve turned on new sites with Band 14 capability in Leesburg, Charlottesville, Glasgow, Richmond, and Harrisonburg.
After discussing the benefits of this new site for public safety, we went to the Sheriff’s office for an in-depth and substantive discussion about how Sheriff Chilton and his team rely on FirstNet to help protect property and save lives.
FirstNet was shaped by the vision of Congress and the first responder community following the 9/11 terrorist attacks. When public safety asked for a single nationwide network built with and for them, AT&T was the only major wireless carrier to raise its hand to build out this communications ecosystem for first responders.
As public safety’s partner helping deliver FirstNet, AT&T has a federal mandate to expand and evolve the network, so public safety stays at the forefront of innovative, lifesaving technologies.
During the conversation, Sheriff Chilton had this to say about FirstNet:
“The implementation of FirstNet in our county has been significant in the management of cellular technology, giving us a critical edge in times of community responses. We are grateful for the partnership and AT&T’s dedication to public safety.”
You can check out additional photos here.
We’re grateful to Sheriff Chilton, Congressman Vindman’s team and Senator Reeves for taking time to meet with us to highlight how FirstNet is making a difference in Culpeper County.
*FirstNet and the FirstNet logo are registered trademarks and service marks of the First Responder Network Authority. All other marks are the property of their respective owners.
