Senators Seeking D-Block Reallocation Support Jobs Act as Vehicle
The American Jobs Act’s inclusion of spectrum won praise from senators seeking to reallocate the 700 MHz D-block to public safety. The Act’s public safety section hews closely to the Senate Commerce Committee’s Spectrum Act, S-911 (CD Sept 13 p1). But House Commerce Committee Republicans who have favored a commercial D-block auction are continuing on their own path to spectrum legislation, a committee spokesman said Tuesday.
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It’s “great news” that the jobs bill included D-block reallocation, Senate Homeland Security Committee Chairman Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., told us Tuesday after his committee’s hearing on the 9/11 anniversary. Lieberman said reallocating the D-block is “so urgent that I would use any vehicle I can find to get it adopted.” Lieberman said he would also support the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction taking up the public safety spectrum bill as they try to find $1.5 trillion in savings over 10 years. “The good thing is if they do it with the auction, it will be a net plus for the Treasury. In other words, it can help to build it out and also have some extra money left over to help pay down the debt."
The House Commerce Committee majority agrees “spectrum is an important opportunity to promote innovation, job creation, and the development of a nationwide, interoperable broadband network for public safety,” said a committee spokeswoman. “That is why the committee has prioritized it this year with five hearings and development of a draft proposal, and it remains a priority for the fall. We will look at the president’s specific proposals and continue with the bipartisan approach we have taken thus far."
The Jobs Act’s inclusion of spectrum won praise Monday from Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va. Ranking Member Kay Bailey Hutchison, R-Texas, is still reviewing the Jobs Act, but “all options are on the table at this point” for passing public safety spectrum legislation, a Republican committee aide said. Rockefeller and Hutchison co-wrote the Spectrum Act (S-911) that would reallocate the D-block to public safety.
Hutchison urged the D-block’s reallocation in a Tuesday op-ed for The Hill. “Some people argue that this spectrum band should be auctioned for commercial use, but such an approach is pennywise and pound-foolish,” Hutchison wrote. S-911 “would auction other spectrum blocks, contributing an estimated $6.5 billion to debt reduction. We are confident, however, that number will increase significantly with further modifications” to the bill.
At the Senate Homeland Security hearing, Homeland Security Department Secretary Janet Napolitano alluded to first responders’ network problems on 9/11 but cited improvement. “Limitations in communication and interoperability among air traffic control operators, military personnel and first responders hindered the response on 9/11,” she said. “Our nation has since made significant investment in training and technical assistance to improve emergency communication capabilities.”
Sen. Ron Johnson, R-Wis., questioned the nation’s ability to respond to attacks. During the recent earthquake in Washington, D.C., cellphones “did not work for hours,” Johnson said. Napolitano responded that it’s common in disasters for commercial networks to be overwhelmed because everyone is trying to make calls. However, responders were able to contact each other during the earthquake, she said.
Rockefeller again urged passage of S-911 in a statement submitted for the record at the Homeland Security Committee hearing. “To those who say we cannot afford to do this now, I say we cannot afford not to,” Rockefeller said. “Because this effort is about saving lives.”