National Governors Association to Meet on Relocating Radio Frequencies to Public Safety Community
Friday, April 13, 2012
Friday, April 13, 2012
The National Governors Association (NGA) has announced plans to meet this summer to discuss implementing the relocation of the 700 MHz spectrum—commonly referred to as the “D-Block”—to the public safety community. NGA Executive Director Dan Crippen said, “The role of the governors will be vital to the success of the nationwide network. The law requires that governors coordinate with the First Responder Network Authority that is charged with constructing and operating the network.”
Part of the legislation on extending the payroll tax cuts, which President Obama signed into law on February 22, 2012, involved the D-Block relocation. The goal of the relocation is to begin building a dedicated, nationwide wireless broadband network for police officers, firefighters, and other public safety officials. The experiences of September 11 and subsequent major events (e.g., Hurricane Katrina) escalated the call for such a network.
“Governors must choose,” Director Crippen said, “whether to participate in the construction of the national network or to build and maintain the state’s portion separately. Our goal is to convene public safety officials, federal representatives and other state policymakers to examine options that will ensure first responders can communicate and deliver life-saving and life-sustaining services to citizens.”
No date has been set for the meeting.
Learn More
The passage of the legislation was merely the first step, as Politico reported on March 21. “How they [regulators and public safety officials] meet a series of tough benchmarks over the next six months will be critical to the success or failure of the long-sought network.”
The new law also called for the establishment of the First Responder Network Authority (FirstNet) within the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). FirstNet will assume the responsibility to hold the license to the public safety’s 10 MHz of the broadband spectrum in the 700 MHz band and also have a board that includes significant public safety representation.