Congress Hears Testimony on Nationwide Radio Net

Witnesses who testified before a Congressional committee on Thursday about building a nationwide public safety radio network almost universally invoked memories of the September 11th terrorist attacks, and urged Senators to pass a bill that would directly allocated spectrum to public safety. The Senate committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation is chaired by Sen. Jay Rockefeller IV (D-WV), who has introduced S. 3756 that would snatch a 700 MHz allocation away from an auction planned by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and deed it to a public safety trust. The committee heard from city and county public safety leaders, the mayor of Houston, the FCC’s’ Public Safety Bureau chief, a representative of the fire service and a private consultant. The witnesses testified that, “From Hawaii to Florida, from Texas to Maine and all parts in between, we have the same problems”—funding and sufficient spectrum to communicate. They pointed out that it’s been 10 years since the September 11th terrorist attacks, an “unconscionable” period of time, according to Houston mayor Annise Parker, to wait for interoperable communications. But Ken Zdunek, chief technology officer of consulting firm Roberson & Associates, said the slow pace is necessary. He acknowledged the frustration of public safety agencies, but added, “Any decision about how to proceed may still be premature until the FCC, with guidance from the public safety community and industry, is able to fully evaluate the complex issues that implementation of such a network raises.” Read a press release from Rockefeller on the need for a nationwide network, and a summary of the witness testimony. The entire hearing video is available on-line, including printed opening statements of Rockefeller and minority chair Kay Bailey Hutchinson. Download (pdf) and read testimony from the witnesses, including a press release from the International Association of Fire Chiefs (IAFC) supporting Rockefeller’s bill. The Public Safety Alliance held a press conference outside the Capitol after the hearing. Watch the video after the break.