Federal Government Policy and Business

Board of FirstNet Public-Safety System Is Criticized Over Conflicts

The New York Times: WASHINGTON — The board overseeing a $7 billion nationwide public-safety communications network paid “no systematic attention to potential conflicts of interest” among its members, several of whom have financial ties to the telecommunications industry, according to a report released on Tuesday by the Commerce Department’s inspector general.

Members of the board of FirstNet, as the communications network is known, did not file timely public financial disclosure reports, the report said. The board’s contracting practices also lacked the required transparency, the report said, resulting in inadequate oversight of hiring and the payment of erroneous costs during the board’s first year in operation.

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