Establishes Nationwide Alert System
Senators Kirsten Gillibrand and Charles E. Schumer praised Senate and House negotiators for announcing a package to extend the payroll tax cut for middle class families, unemployment insurance and the “doc fix” will include a critical first responder communications bill.
The legislation, which has broad support of law enforcement and public safety officials across the country, fulfills a key outstanding recommendation of the 9/11 Commission Report and is a huge victory for public safety.
The bill creates a national broadband communications system by auctioning unused spectrum and allocating 10 megahertz of spectrum known as the “D block” to first responders and dedicates $7 billion to create and set up the first responders network.
“This is a huge win for public safety and a critical step towards fulfilling a key outstanding recommendation of the 9/11 Commission Report,” Gillibrand said. “A national, first responder broadband network will equip our firefighters, police officers, and first responders with the tools they need to communicate with each other in real-time during a national crisis. There is no higher priority than the security of our families and communities. It’s simply unacceptable when, as New York City Police Commissioner Kelly said in his testimony before Congress, ‘a 16- year-old with a smart phone has a more advanced communications capability than a police officer or deputy carrying a radio.’ I commend the leadership and dedication of my colleagues, including Leader [Harry] Reid, Sen. [Jay] Rockefeller who has championed this bill from day one, and my tremendous partner Senator Schumer, who never wavered in their efforts to bring our first responder technology into the 21st century.”
“This deal is shaping up to be a big win for our first responders,” Schumer added. “More than a decade after 9/11, we are going to finally establish the national network that will let emergency workers talk to each other so we can avoid repeating the communication failures of that tragic day. We have come close to getting this done before, and this time we refused to take no for an answer.”
The final public safety spectrum agreement is based on the fundamental framework Chairman Rockefeller first developed in his public safety spectrum bill that was supported by Gillibrand and Schumer. It has two essential elements.
First, it provides public safety with D-Block spectrum for a nationwide, wireless, broadband network. Second, it provides the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) with authority to hold new spectrum auctions, including voluntary incentive spectrum auctions.
Key items int he spectrum agreement include:
– providing public safety officials across the country with the same spectrum resource-a portion of the 700 MHz wireless airwaves known as the D-Block-and $7 billion in dedicated funding to get a nationwide, wireless, broadband network using D-Block spectrum up and running;
– directing the FCC to auction underutilized government spectrum to commercial wireless providers;
– creating an independent First Responder Network Authority, which will be housed under the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, to develop the public safety network;
– permitting state efforts to develop their own networks using the same protocols as the national system;
– providing up to $300 million for R&D critical for the development of next generation public safety communications; and
– preserving the opportunity for nationwide unlicensed use of spectrum known as “white spaces” to foster innovative new wireless technologies.
