Sen. John McCain said at a campaign stop Tuesday that he will push for a national broadband wireless network for public safety, reports C/Net.
Speaking at the National Sheriff’s Association Annual Conference, McCain said a national, interoperable public safety broadband network was long overdue.
“For more than a decade now, I have tried to persuade the Congress to provide dedicated radio spectrum and funding for communications equipment to local, state, and federal law enforcement officers,” said McCain
McCain, who spent six years as chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, which is responsible for telecommunications policy, said during his speech Tuesday that the Federal Communications Commission needs to make more radio spectrum available for law enforcement. He also said he would try to limit the amount of spectrum the FCC could auction off to the private sector.
Ever since the September 11 attacks and Hurricane Katrina, politicians have lamented the lack of interoperability among various emergency communications networks. The FCC set aside a 10MHz chunk of spectrum in the 700 MHz band called the D-Block that was to be used to build a national public safety network that would also be shared with the public.
But no bidder reached the reserve price for the “D block” spectrum licenses.
McCain hasn’t publicly taken a stance on these individual spectrum plans, but it’s clear he believes public safety organizations should get priority over any private sector companies. How McCain would fund such a network is less clear.
“APCO International believes a public-private partnership between the D Block and public safety is currently the most viable option for funding and deployment of a national interoperable broadband network for public safety,” said Willis Carter, president of the Association of Public-Safety Officials International. “The FCC should move with all deliberative speed while ensuring that public-safety needs are addressed.”
The FCC has taken a first step toward re-auctioning the 700MHz “D block” in the 700 MHz band.
The FCC voted to ask for public comments (pdf) on how to re-auction the 10MHz piece of spectrum. Commissioners wanted to pair it with another 10MHz controlled by public-safety agencies to build a nationwide network shared by public-safety agencies and commercial users.
The Integrated Wireless Network (IWN), was proposed seven years ago to provide interoperable, mobile data and voice communications to DOJ, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the U.S. Treasury Department.
But according to an audit by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) inspector general, it is “at a high risk of failure.” Industry observers say the federal radio network would cost $5 billion to $30 billion to build —- money that has not been appropriated by Congress.
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