NENA to FCC: Let’s Get Going on Spectrum

The National Emergency Number Association (NENA) has written a letter to FCC chair Julius Genachowski, welcoming him to the job, recapping the D Block spectrum issues, and giving them guidelines on how to evaluate proposals to allocate the 700 MHz frequencies. An auction of the spectrum failed to attract sufficiently-high bids last year, leaving the 10 MHz completely unused. NENA told Genachowski, “each proposal should be weighed in terms of the proposal’s ability to provide a nationwide wireless broadband network that public safety can utilize,” and Congress should address the funding needs of public safety. The association also said waiver grants must, “ensure that technology choice, interoperability and roaming are sufficiently addressed.” The FCC is still assessing whether to re-auction the D Block or assign it some other way. Download (pdf) the NENA letter here, and read some very interesting commentary by spectrum policy analyst Harold Feld here.