A staff discussion draft of public safety legislation by House...
A staff discussion draft of public safety legislation by House Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., “includes necessary elements for consideration in establishing rules as part” of a broad interoperability framework, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski wrote him July 20. “Any path…
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forward” on the public safety network “should permit flexibility to identify additional criteria identified through any rulemaking process,” Genachowski said. Waxman’s draft bill would authorize a commercial auction of the D-block and give the proceeds to public safety. Interoperability “can be achieved and maintained only through a combination of technology standards, license conditions, network governance, funding conditions and regulations,” Genachowski said. Achieving interoperability also will take compliance by “thousands” of public safety jurisdictions, he said. “While the FCC can utilize its licensing regime and its enforcement authority to bring this about, it will also be very important to condition any grant program on compliance with these important interoperability requirements.” Other federal agencies, including the Justice and Homeland Security departments, must “ensure that the proper procedures are in place so all can be certain of interoperability from day one of this network.” Genachowski said he directed the Public Safety Bureau to issue a public notice “soon” on promoting competition for public safety communication technologies. The document will seek comment on to what degree lack of equipment competition and device availability has hurt interoperability for narrowband voice communications, and how to fix the problem going forward, he said. Public Safety Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett is set to speak about the D-block in a hearing Tuesday of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Communications. The hearing will discuss the National Broadband Plan’s ideas for public safety, including the proposed commercial D-block auction, the committee said. Other planned witnesses include Greg Schaffer, assistant secretary of the Homeland Security Department; Jeff Johnson, president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs; Charles Dowd, deputy chief of the New York City Police Department; Robert LeGrande, founder of The Digital Decision; and Eric Graham, Cellular South vice president.