CWA Endorses Rockefeller's D-Block Bill

The Communications Workers of America have come out in favor of legislation that would reallocate to public safety officials a controversial chunk of spectrum that the Federal Communications Commission plans to auction to commercial bidders.

The legislation, offered by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman John (Jay) Rockefeller (D-WV), would reallocate the D-block of spectrum to public safety officials for an interoperable public safety communications network. It also would direct the FCC to establish standards that allow public safety officials, when not using the network, to lease capacity on a secondary, but preemptible basis, to commercial users or others. The FCC's plan calls for auctioning the D-block and using the proceeds to help pay for the construction of an interoperable public safety communications network. First responders say that they do not have enough spectrum to meet their needs and that the D-block is especially well suited for an interoperable communications network. The CWA, which includes 16,000 public safety workers, agreed in a letter sent late last month to Chairman Rockefeller.