A Senate Committee on Wednesday took the first step towards the approval of a public safety bill that would let broadcasters auction off unusued spectrum to help fund an interoperable public safety network, among other things.
By a vote of 21 to 4, the Senate Commerce Committee approved S. 911, the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act. It now moves to the full Senate for a vote.
"Today's vote and the strong endorsement of the public safety network get us closer to our goal—making things safer for Americans and first responders," bill sponsor and committee chairman John Rockefeller said in a statement.
The bill text posted online is currently somewhat thin, stating mainly that it would "establish the sense of Congress that Congress should enact, and the President should sign, bipartisan legislation to strengthen public safety and to enhance wireless communications." In a press release, however, Rockefeller, outlined some key provisions the bill will include.
Rockefeller said he would push members to act on the legislation as soon as possible in an effort to have it signed into law by the tenth anniversary of the September 11, 2011 terrorist attacks.
Officials have been calling for an interoperable public safety network since those attacks, when antiquated systems prevented various police, fire, and rescue organizations from communicating with one another at the disaster sites. But a lack of available spectrum, the high price tag, and various opinions on how the government should proceed have delayed any sort of implementation.
During this year's State of the Union address, President Obama pledged to provide 98 percent of Americans with access to next-generation wireless technology in the next five years. The following month, he outlined a plan that would, among other things, allocate $10.7 billion for a public safety network, including $3.2 billion to re-allocate D-Block spectrum to public safety, and $7 billion for the deployment of this network.
One impediment to deploying such a network is lack of spectrum. First responders want access in emergency situations, but wireless carriers are also clamoring for a piece of the spectrum pie as more and more people adopt data-intensive mobile devices like smartphones and tablets. To free up some spectrum, Federal Communications Chairman Julius Genachowski has proposed allowing TV broadcasters to voluntarily sell off unused spectrum, a plan Obama supports.
The bill the committee approved Wednesday would do just that, Rockefeller said. Broadcasters could sell portions of their airwaves, and the spectrum would be re-auctioned for commerical wireless broadband. A portion of the proceeds from these "incentive auctions" would then be used to build a public safety network. Any leftover funds would go to the U.S. Treasury.
The National Association of Broadcasters, which initially had doubts about the plan and whether it would be truly voluntary, said in a statement that it "appreciates the hard work of Chairman Rockefeller and ranking member Hutchison in shepherding through today's legislation. As the process moves forward, NAB will work with policymakers to help ensure that broadcasters are able to deliver on the promise of free and local digital television made to tens of millions of viewers."
CTIA, the wireless industry trade group, said "making additional spectrum available is critical to ensuring that the wireless industry can continue to meet the exploding demand for wireless broadband services and remain a catalyst for economic growth."
Under the bill, 10MHz of spectrum, known as the D-block, would be allocated to public safety. The January 2008, 700-MHz spectrum plan set aside the D-block for public safety use, but it failed to attract a bidder willing to pay the $1.3 billion reserve price.
The bill would also:
- Establish a framework for the deployment of a nationwide, interoperable, wireless broadband network for public safety.
- Direct the FCC to establish standards that allow public safety officials, when not using the network, to lease capacity on a secondary, but preemptible basis to non-public safety entities.
- Direct the National Science Foundation and the National Institute of Standards and Technology to conduct cutting edge research into transformative wireless technologies.