Jason Porter

President, Public Sector and FirstNet, AT&T

Jason Porter is leading the AT&T business that provides services to the public sector and the only dedicated communications platform in the country built specifically for first responders. And he’s leading it at a time when federal agencies are pivoting toward EIS networking services contracts — an area in which AT&T is seeing significant growth.

“Jason is an extraordinary leader whose commitment to protecting our country and its freedoms was instilled and inspired by his time as a West Point cadet,” said Anne Chow, CEO of AT&T Business. “He’s the right person to be leading our public sector and FirstNet business for many reasons; however, it’s his passion to ensure our customers succeed in delivering their missions that stands out.”

Among other efforts, Porter’s team is supporting the Defense Department move to 5G capabilities via its selection of AT&T 5G for its experimentation programs. Additionally, the business is helping modernize public safety through FirstNet, a service Porter said is “the only dedicated communications platform in the country built with and for first responders and providing them with always-on priority and true preemption capabilities.”

FirstNet now supports 18,500 public safety agencies and supporting organizations representing over 2.8 million connections.

Why Watch

In 2022, AT&T expects huge growth in customer adoption as the company continues expanding 5G deployments, which bring needed cybersecurity protections.

“We’re enthusiastic about the momentum going into 2022 and for what lies ahead with our federal, state and local government customers as well as the focus and energy within the education market,” Porter said. “FirstNet, cybersecurity, 5G, fiber connectivity and the continued evolution and modernization of agency systems are critical needs for our customers, and we’ll be right there, innovating with them to enable their missions.”