Congress Passes Epic Spectrum Bill

After years of lobbying by public safety groups, today the U.S. House and Senate approved legislation that will fulfill the spectrum needs to construct a nationwide wireless network that will support broadband voice and data. The bill also includes NG911 funding, a frequency band give-back, TV band auction provisions, and the creation of a spectrum governance agency. The spectrum provisions were tied to a tax bill that had become a major point of contention for both political parties, but which passed by a relatively wide margin. Most significantly, the bill  allocates the D Block of spectrum directly to public safety, a 20 MHz band that had originally been set for auction to a commercial enterprise in 2008. The bill also requires an auction of certain vacated television spectrum, with $7 billion of the auction proceeds going to fund a nationwide public safety wireless network. Legislators wanted spectrum in exchange for the D Block allocation, and after extensive negotiations, compromised with a give-back of the T-Band (470-512 MHz) being used by agencies in major metropolitan areas. The affected agencies would have 11 years to fully vacate the band under the new bill. But the give-back news sparked cries of “sell-out” from some agencies now using the T-band for large networks . Analysts said legislators originally wanted spectrum give-back from the 150-470 MHz band, then shifted to 420-470 MHz and to 700 MHz band, before landing on the T-band. In addition, T-band users say they should not be subject to the FCC’s current narrowbanding mandate, since the money spent will be wasted when the frequencies are given back. Because the original tax bill is high-profile, it should be signed by the President very quickly. The Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO) applauded the Congressional action, and thanked its supporters from both political parties. Motorola also hailed the bill’s passage, but for economic reasons, and the International Association of Chiefs of Police also praised the action.

The 13 metro areas authorized for use of the T-Band with FCC waivers, including public safety agencies, are:

• Boston, MA
• Chicago, IL
• Cleveland, OH
• Dallas/Fort Worth, TX
• Detroit, MI
• Houston, TX
• Los Angeles, CA
• Miami, FL
• New York, NY/Newark NJ
• Philadelphia, PA
• Pittsburgh, PA
• San Fran/Oakland, CA
• Washington, DC/MD/VA

Public safety agencies are using T-Band frequencies in only 11 of these metro areas. The FCC’s licensing database shows 3,233 licensees in the T-band under trunked and conventional categories for 808 public safety agencies.

In a message to members of the Association of Public Safety Communications Officials (APCO), association president Greg Riddle sent this message:

It is with great pleasure that I write to you today in recognition of the monumental achievement by APCO International’s members and supporters. Last night, President Obama signed in to law H.R. 3630; Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Title VI of the legislation creates a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network (PSBN) that will revolutionize the way we do our work for years to come.

Working together with the Public Safety Alliance and our partners in the industry and the Big 7 state and local government associations, APCO International’s members achieved something many had claimed to be impossible. Against all odds and countless obstacles, we succeeded in getting legislation enacted last night that allocates D Block spectrum to public safety, provides $7 billion in funding, and establishes a governing body that will ensure the build out of a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network.

In addition, the legislation goes a long way in advancing next generation 9-1-1 services by providing $115 million in grants to upgrade our 9-1-1 infrastructure to technologies that will make it possible for Public Safety Answering Points (PSAP) to receive not only voice 9-1-1 calls, but also text, video, data, and images. The 9-1-1 grants can be used for the implementation and operation of 9-1-1, E 9-1-1, migration to IP-enabled emergency network, adoption and operation of NG 9-1-1 services, and training of public safety communications personnel.

We are truly at the nexus of realizing the benefits that advanced communications technology has to offer to better serve and protect our communities. Today, I am proud to say we made history and it is my belief that we changed public safety communications forever.

We have a lot to celebrate today, but above all we need to celebrate APCO’s leadership in advancing public safety issues in our nation’s capital.

Thank you for your service and support of APCO International.

Sincerely,
Gregg Riddle
President, APCO International