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Holder Pledges To Help Resolve Public Safety Spectrum DisputeBy Juliana Gruenwald
October 26, 2010 | 4:08 PM
Attorney General Eric Holder said Tuesday that trying to resolve the dispute over what should be done with a chunk of spectrum that public safety officials want to use for an interoperable public safety broadband network and the FCC wants to auction is one of his department's top priorities.

In a speech to the International Association of Chiefs of Police, which along with other public safety groups has called for Congress to reallocate the D-block spectrum for public safety use, Holder said the Justice Department has "facilitated a series of discussions concerning the public safety broadband network, including the future of the D-block." He said the department, working with the relevant stakeholders, has been tryng to "determine a path forward" to make sure the "communication needs of state, local, and tribal law enforcement are met." ...
..."In this regard let me be clear on one point -- I strongly support removing the D-block spectrum from auction so that it can be allocated directly to our nation's public safety officers," Holder said in his October 2009 remarks. "It is long past time to build the nationwide interoperable communications network we so desperately need in order to keep our nation safe during emergencies." ...