McCain: Public Safety Groups Need More Radio Frequencies
Sen. John McCain (R-AZ)
WASHINGTON DC, June 15, 2007 - Satnews Daily - Republican presidential candidate Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) has urged the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) to allocate a further 30 MHz to the 24 MHz to be devoted to public safety groups, including first responders.
The FCC intends to establish a national public safety organization to manage a block of spectrum in the upper portion of the 700 Megahertz (MHz) band. The 24 MHz is part of a spectrum block totaling 108 MHz that analog TV broadcasters have returned to the government because of an industry wide shift to digital TV mandated by law.
Of the 108 MHz, 60 MHz will be sold in public auction in January 2008. Public safety officials will receive 24 MHz, with the remaining 24 MHz already auctioned off.
McCain said he and the FCC shared the same concept that McCain spelled out in his SAVE LIVES Act (S. 744). The SAVE LIVES Act stands for Spectrum Availability for Emergency-Response and Law-Enforcement to Improve Vital Emergency Services Act.
He hopes the FCC will follow his legislation when it drafts rules governing the 24 MHz for public safety use. The SAVE LIVES Act would require that winning bidders at the auction of the 700 MHz band to share use of the spectrum with public safety agencies. Winners must also implement specifications drawn up by an intergovernmental Public Safety Interoperable Communications Working Group.
In addition to the 24 MHz for public safety, McCain's bill would set aside another 30 MHz in the 700 MHz band for the creation of a national public safety network.
Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards had previously written the FCC urging the commission to make the Internet more affordable and accessible especially in rural and underserved areas.
The 60 megahertz of spectrum up for auction in Jan. 2008 is returning to the FCC as a result of TV broadcasters' transition to digital television. Under current law, broadcasters must return their analog channels to the government by Dec. 31, 2006, but only in markets where 85% of homes can receive digital signals.
The FCC, which will supervise the auction, expects to reclaim a total of 108 MHz from analog TV broadcasters. Of this total, 24 MHz will not be auctioned but will be given to public-safety groups to solve interoperability problems during time of crisis involving multiple jurisdictions.
The U.S. Congress wants analog TV broadcasts shut down by Feb. 17, 2009, which will also be the start date for the national conversion to digital TV. This will end more than 60 years of analog broadcasts and will potentially make millions of analog TV sets obsolete.
Congress is eager to reclaim analog spectrum both to improve public safety radio communication, and auction it to wireless high-speed Internet services. A recent estimate provided to Congress predicts that just 60 MHz could net the federal government from $20 to $30 billion.
