Public Safety Wants Congress to Remove D-Block from Auction
Public safety leaders seeking a national public safety wireless network flew into Washington, urging Congress to immediately reallocate 700 MHz D-block spectrum. Police, fire and other representatives held meetings Tuesday with Congressional leaders and FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, they said at a press conference that evening. More than eight years after communications between public safety agencies broke down during 9/11, “we still do not have the ability to communicate with each other,” said Chief Robert Davis, president of the Major Cities Chiefs Association. “We are profoundly disappointed that Congress and the administration have not acted to secure this critically needed spectrum for the protection of the public.”
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In meetings on the Hill, public safety groups urged Congress to remove the D-block from auction and allocate it directly to public safety. Davis said some of the meetings were “very, very productive,” particularly one with House Commerce Committee Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif.: “I felt like we got a good ear, and that he’s very well aware of what the issues are that we're trying to confront.” But the group has also had meetings where “we have federal agencies pointing to each other” as to which one should take the lead, he said: “Collectively, there are a lot of people involved in this puzzle that we've got to try to solve.” Another common response in meetings was that it’s “a very difficult project,” he said. “Of course it’s a difficult project … but it’s also a project that we absolutely must do.”
The FCC’s broadband plan may be one place to set the stage for action, Davis said. Public safety representatives met with Genachowski Tuesday morning, he said: “What we'd like to see is something in it that basically agrees” that the public safety network “is worthwhile, is valuable and needs to happen.” The FCC’s “dilemma” is that they're bound by existing law, he said: “We're going to need Congress to try and change that if we're going to be able to move forward with getting the D-block.”
Public safety sent letters about the proposed legislation Friday to chairmen and ranking members of House and Senate Commerce Committees. Public safety groups backing the effort include APCO, NENA, and several police and firefighter associations. AT&T, Verizon, Motorola, Harris and Alcatel-Lucent also showed support at Tuesday’s event.