Ex-NTIA Chiefs Sketch Public Safety Plan

EX-NTIA CHIEFS SKETCH PUBLIC SAFETY PLAN
[SOURCE: Technology Daily 5/23, AUTHOR: David Hatch]
Two former chiefs of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration outlined a proposal for raising billions of dollars to bolster communications for fire, police and rescue squads. The plan is largely based on the assumption that the upcoming auction of television spectrum will garner far more revenue than estimated. Larry Irving, who ran NTIA during the Clinton administration, and Michael Gallagher, who headed NTIA under President Bush, said their recommendations are critical to ensuring that "first responders" can talk across jurisdictions. In November, the duo released a blueprint for ensuring that sufficient spectrum is available for emergency use. Now they are seeking to harness the unique opportunity presented by the auctioning of spectrum currently used by broadcasters to fund the plan. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that the auction, part of the transition to digital TV signals, could raise $12.5 billion to $15 billion, but the former NTIA chiefs said it could draw up to $5 billion more. Half of the extra revenue would go to deficit reduction, and the other half to first responders under their approach. The proposal would augment $1 billion that Congress already has reserved and an additional $3 billion in the appropriations pipeline.
http://www.njtelecomupdate.com/2007/05/by_david_hatch_wednesday_may.html