Using Spectrum to Advance Public Safety, Promote Broadband, Create Jobs, and Reduce the Deficit

On April 12, the House Commerce Committee's Communications and Technology Subcommittee held a hearing entitled “Using Spectrum to Advance Public Safety, Promote Broadband, Create Jobs, and Reduce the Deficit."

Public safety organizations en masse plan to tell the House Communications Subcommittee that it is imperative they pass legislation that allocated the D block of spectrum to public safety.

Former-senator Slade Gorton, a member of the 9/11 Commission, will testify before the House Commerce Committee on April 12 that the D Block of airwaves should be auctioned to commercial providers in order to fund a broadband network for public safety agencies.

The Federal Communications Commission's rejiggering of television station spectrum allocations as part of its broadband spectrum reclamation plan could adversely affect a third or more of all TV stations, according to the prepared congressional testimony of the broadcasting representative on the first of what will be several hearings on the issue.

According to testimony Julius Knapp, chief of the Federal Communications Commission's Office of Engineering & Technology, will deliver to the House Communications Subcommittee on April 12, the nation must "seize every opportunity to free up spectrum for mobile broadband."

According to a copy of the majority staff memo on this week's House hearing on spectrum, Republicans are convinced more spectrum must be freed up for wireless, but they will look at a range of places to find it.