Is there new life for the public safety D block of spectrum?

Remember all that planning and strategizing at the Federal Communications Commission about how to set up a national broadband powered public safety network—something that police, fire, and medical first responders could use across the country? Well, the first signs of new life for that long-delayed scheme surfaced a few days ago when the FCC's Homeland Security Bureau chief announced that a new proposal would be included in the Commission's National Broadband Plan to Congress, now due on March 17.

But the news disclosed by the FCC's James Barnett is a bit of a downer to the big public safety agencies, who want the government to scratch the extant plan to auction off the spectrum needed for the service, and just give 20MHz of it to them instead. "It would be great to have 20 MHz," Barnett told attendees at the APCO Winter Technology Summit in Orlando, Florida. "The problem that we have right now as we pursue this is that the D Block is dedicated to commercial use—we're actually under a mandate to auction it." A Congressional mandate, that is. The 'D Block,' as Ars spectrum auction watchers doubtless recall, was the only part of the massive 700 MHz spectrum auction in 2008 that failed to sell. The rest was auctioned off handily to the tune of $19.6 billion. Why that one glitch? Here's a quick refresher course on the D Block Blues.