John Kerry sides with White House on public safety network

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) is now siding with the White House in the debate over how to construct the first nationwide communications network for police officers and firefighters.

Sen. Kerry said in a letter to the Federal Communications Commission that he supports a process called “reallocation,” which would turn a valuable chunk of wireless airwaves known as the D-Block directly to public safety agencies. The view shared by Sen Kerry and the White House is contrary to the FCC’s original recommendation to auction those airwaves to private companies that can afford to build out the network for public safety agencies to use. It’s a notable development for proponents of reallocation, including Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), who seek to use one of Kerry’s related proposals to pay for the build-out of a nationwide public safety network.