Investigation: FirstNet Board Is Operating Properly

An investigation into claims of improper conduct by members of the FirstNet governing board has found no evidence that documents were improperly withheld, members met privately to make decisions, or that they failed to comply with legally established duties. In a 10-page report issued last Friday, FirstNet’s Special Review Committee put to rest allegations that have dogged the project to bring wireless broadband to every public safety agency in America. The project is about 18 months old, and is still in the early planning and administrative stage. Complaints were raised by Stark County (Ia.) sheriff Paul Fitzgerald at a FirstNet board meeting last April. He complained about secret meeting of board members, withheld financial information, conflicts of interest, and that some officials had been deliberately excluded from the early planning process. In May the board voted to investigate the complaints, leading to the formation of a special committee. Now, in its report, that committee said it reviewed documents and interviewed board members to determine that pre-meetings and bi-weekly telephone calls among board members, “did not constitute decision-making,” and were appropriate and legal. In fact, the committee concluded that these contacts among members did not even help move the board members to a consensus on the issues under discussion. As for withheld information, the committee found that it was instead delayed information, caused when refinements and changes were made to financial figures. The Special Review Committee noted that allegations of ethics and procurement violations were still being investigated, and will be addressed in a separate report. Download (pdf) the committee’s complete report here.