Harman Seeks Grants for Public Safety Equipment
Equipment makers could seek grants to develop public-safety devices that support voice, data and video communications in the 700 MHz spectrum, under a bipartisan bill introduced Wednesday by Rep. Jane Harman, D-Calif. HR-5907 would set up a $70 million competition, run by NTIA, for research and development grants. “This process will produce devices ready for first responders’ use within five years -- hopefully sooner,” Harman said Wednesday on the House floor.
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"Directed research-and-development is essential to achieving interoperability because it will drive down cost and develop devices that public safety has a hand in selecting,” Harman said. “Equally as important, this bill will accelerate the development of those devices, quickly giving public safety more options with new cost savings to states and localities, and assurance that the technology can be trusted for their important work.” First responders lack equipment for emergencies, said co-sponsor Rep. John Shimkus, R-Ill., co-chair of the E-911 Caucus. “We have made great strides in some areas, such as call centers, but interoperable frontline equipment is still not affordable for most departments."
The $70 million program wouldn’t add to the deficit, because its cost would be offset by extending the FCC’s authority to auction spectrum, Harman said. Revenue from spectrum auctions by the commission October 2012 to October 2015 would feed a Public Safety Communications Devices Fund set up under the legislation. “The bill allows the FCC to conduct auctions three years beyond when the authority would normally expire in 2012,” a Harman spokeswoman said. “The FCC would determine which spectrum would be auctioned during this period."
NTIA would be required to develop criteria for the program, evaluate devices in multiple stages, and select products for funding and licensing. The agency would have four years to assign awards over three rounds. It would coordinate with a working group from the FCC, the National Institute of Standards and Technology, the Homeland Security Department’s Office of Emergency Communications, and public safety interests. Afterward, GAO would study how the program was carried out and how it has affected competition and development of first-responder devices.
Extending the FCC’s auction authority gives the bill a “pay-for” provision to offset its costs, because it would mean the government could count the extra years of possible revenue in its budget calculation, said a telecom industry official. Such offsets have been a prerequisite to passing most legislation in this Congress. A problem may be that Harman’s legislation isn’t the only pending bill that includes the auction extension as its “pay for,” the official said. If one of the bills that includes the offset passes, the others would have to find a new “pay for."
The bill’s supporters include APCO, the National Emergency Numbers Association (NENA), the Fraternal Order of Police, Sprint Nextel and the Rural Cellular Association, Harman said. “This legislation will benefit public safety through grants to develop devices that will meet the current and future needs of first responders and also by facilitating the interoperability of these devices, regardless of manufacturer,” said NENA. Enacting the bill would also lead to better handsets for consumers, RCA President Steven Berry said. “Investing in a developmental contest will encourage vendors to enter, thus promoting a healthy, competitive marketplace.”