PUBLIC-SAFETY SOUNDS OUT CONGRESS ON BILL TO GIVE IT D BLOCK

摘要

Public-safety groups are circulating on Capitol Hill a legislative proposal to take the D block off the auction block at the FCC and ask Congress to pay for building an interoperable network. The proposal suggests that the FCC adopt rules giving the paired spectrum bands of 758-763 MHz and 788-793 MHz to the public safety broadband licensee that holds spectrum in the 763-768 MHz and 793-798 MHz bands. The licensee would be allowed to use the spectrum to build a public safety broadband network for use by first responders, "through leases or other means," according to the proposal. The licensee would be allowed to enter into network-sharing and infrastructure agreements with commercial and non-profit entities to build the network, as long as public safety has priority access to the network. The legislation also would need to provide "a means of fully funding the reasonable operating expenses incurred by the national public safety licensee and coordinating the establishment of the nationwide public safety broadband network," the proposal says. Building out the network would cost an estimated $10-15 billion if partnerships are allowed.