Senate Dems rally behind public safety bill

Senate Democrats are planning their biggest push yet to gin up support for a public safety bill aimed at creating a nationwide communications network for police and firefighters.

The legislation from Senate Commerce Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) would allocate a valuable block of spectrum to public safety agencies while funding the creation of the proposed network through the proceeds from spectrum auctions. Chairman Rockefeller will join Sens Chuck Schumer (D-NY), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), and Barbara Boxer (D-CA) for a press conference May 17 where they will call on Congress to pass what they see as long-overdue legislation by September 11. The will remind their colleagues that the 9/11 Commission recommended that Congress dedicate additional spectrum to first responders following the terrorist attacks, and will argue that some police and firefighters needlessly died due to poor communications infrastructure.