Rockefeller deals blow to FCC public safety proposal

Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) may have dealt a significant setback to the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) on July 21 when he announced that he will introduce a bill creating a nationwide broadband network for first responders.

The FCC shares the goal, but has spent considerable energy this year defending a proposal of its own, which differs from Rockefeller's on a major point: whether to auction off a valuable chunk of spectrum known as the D-block. The FCC proposed this auction, and says the proceeds will fund a public safety broadband network that allows police and firemen all over the country to connect on wireless devices during emergencies. But in what could be a setback for the FCC proposal, Chairman Rockefeller declined to support a D-block auction in the plan he announced. Public Safety Alliance (PSA), a coalition of first responder groups, hailed Chairman Rockefeller's proposal. Until Rockefeller made his announcement, it had looked like the FCC plan was gaining momentum. A proposal from House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman (D-CA) lined up on major points with the FCC's plan. And when President Barack Obama signed an executive order last month committing the federal government to freeing up more spectrum for wireless broadband, the White House emphasized commercial auctions and made no overtures to the groups who want the D-Block devoted to first responders.