RFSTUF

Bipartisan Bill Gifting D Block to Public Safety Introduced Into House

Posted on February 14, 2011 One day after President Obama unveiled his Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative imploring Congress to reallocate the 700 MHz D Block to public safety, Representatives Peter T. King (R-NY) and Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) introduced legislation that would not only gift the highly sought spectrum to public safety but also bundle it with $11 billion in federal funding to construct and maintain the nationwide broadband network. The respective Homeland Security Committee party leaders, together with five co-sponsors, formally introduced the Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011 (HR.607) as a call to action in response to the President’s request. In addition to reallocating and funding the D Block, which the FCC would be required to do within 60 days of the bill getting enacted, the proposed legislation contains other provisions, including: (1) requiring that the public safety spectrum remain fully interoperable; (2) authorizing the Department of Homeland Security to manage the grant and maintenance program; (3) requiring the FCC to re-auction the 1755-1780 MHz band as part of re-paired AWS-3 Band for commercial use; (4) increasing the size of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Board of Directors from 15 to 40 members; (5) incentivizing public safety entities to consolidate all spectrum use between 700 and 800 MHz and abandon operations between 174 MHz and 512 MHz within ten years; and (6) allowing secondary use of the D Block by non-public safety entities. Rep. King introduced a similar D Block reallocation bill, this one without funding, in 2010, while Senators Joe Lieberman (I-CT) and John McCain (R-AZ) are expected to introduce a companion bill to HR.607 in the next few weeks.

For additional information, please contact Daryl Zakov.