Under the law that established FirstNet, governors in all 56 states and territories have the choice of (1) making an “opt-in” decision—accepting the FirstNet deployment plan and allowing AT&T to build the LTE radio access network (RAN) within the state’s borders at no cost to the state—or (2) pursuing the “opt-out” alternative, which would require the state/territory to be responsible for building and maintaining the RAN for the next 25 years. A state/territory pursuing the “opt-out” alternative must issue a request for proposals (RFP) and select a vendor to build its alternative RAN.

The map below reflects the progress made within the United States on these “opt-in/opt-out” decisions. Use the tools in the upper left-hand corner to adjust the view. Place your mouse over a state or territory to see information about it. The map will be updated as governors make announcements for their states and territories.

Map by Jason Axelrod