WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Roger Wicker, R-Miss., ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, today commended the reappointment of Gulfport, Miss., Mayor Billy Hewes to the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) Board. Wicker recommended Hewes to Department of Commerce Secretary Gina Raimondo, who made the announcement today.

“Mayor Billy Hewes has been an outstanding representative for the state of Mississippi and for first responders everywhere on the FirstNet Board,” Wicker said. “Mayor Hewes has personal knowledge of the unique challenges communities face in the wake of natural disasters, and I am confident he will continue to be a strong advocate.”

Hewes will continue as a member of the FirstNet Board, which consists of permanent members, including the Secretary of Homeland Security, the Attorney General, and the Director of the Office of Management and Budget, and 12 non-permanent members who are selected by the Secretary of Commerce.

The Board provides oversight of FirstNet, which is a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network designed to connect first responders across departments for large-scale disasters.