Below is my Guest Blog that was featured on the Minority Media and Telecom Council’s Broadband and Social Justice Blog.
The Next Generation of Public Safety: Securing a National Mobile Network
by JORGE BAUERMEISTER on FEBRUARY 22, 2011
Sometimes things happen in Washington that fly below the radar of local communities, even though they could directly impact us all. One of those issues pending before Congress centers on what to do about modernizing the nation’s communications network for America’s emergency first responders.
In recent years, we’ve seen too many instances of how communications snafus and network overload handicap public safety in its work, whether that’s confronting crime, natural disasters or other life critical emergencies in our communities. As a resident of the Island of Puerto Rico, an island that often bears the first brunt of hurricane season in the United States, I am well aware of how the existing network can and often does fail.
The core question before Congress is whether the D Block of radio spectrum should be given to public safety or whether these airwaves should be auctioned off to a commercial bidder to exploit for profit. This month, Rep. Peter King (R-NY) introduced a bipartisan bill supporting allocation of these airwaves to public safety, and last week the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a hearing about the issue, “Safeguarding Our Future: Building a Nationwide Network for First Responders.”
I watched the coverage closely and Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va) did as expected and championed the reallocation of D Block Spectrum to public safety, consistent with his own bill that he reintroduced in January. In addition, Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), ranking member of the Senate Commerce Committee, confirmed that she is also planning to introduce legislation that would reallocate the D block to public safety which includes plans for grants and loans to supplement the cost of the infrastructure’s construction.
Public safety agencies would use this D Block spectrum to build a nationwide interoperable broadband network. Simply put, this network would give police, fire and EMS officials, during times of crisis, the technology to reach one another on communications equipment supporting mission-critical voice and data capabilities. Those opposing the allocation of D Block to public safety would rather have these airwaves auctioned off for commercial use without any public safety obligations, and leave public safety in the back seat to their commercial goals.
In my mind, it’s a no-brainer to set aside this spectrum exclusively for police, fire and other public safety workers so they can communicate easily and swiftly without worrying about interference or capacity limitations that could happen on a shared network.
Some say we can save money by sharing the network with a commercial enterprise – and that argument may sound appealing at a time when economic weakness has limited our resources. But I wouldn’t want to explain to grieving families how their loved ones might have been saved if it weren’t for slow communications because we were trying to save a few bucks. For the general welfare of every citizen and the safety of our first responders, we need to provide public safety with the best tools we can.
Also important if overlooked in this discussion is the impact of sharing this spectrum on the average wireless user whose network connectivity could be derailed when public safety activity rightfully takes priority. Keeping wireless networks open for normal activity has its own economic importance because so much of our commerce and human interaction now rides on these networks. It is especially important in minority communities because wireless services have become the preferred and most cost-efficient way for Latinos to access the Internet.
The Pew Internet and American Life Project reports that “minority Americans lead the way when it comes to mobile access… [and] take advantage of a much wider array of their phones’ data functions compared to white cell phone owners.” Congress should recognize that wireless technology is helping to close the digital divide, and it shouldn’t put this progress at risk by adopting an auction proposal that, during times of emergency, would both cast doubt on the availability of our nation’s commercial networks and also fail to serve the best interests of our nation’s emergency first responders.
Jorge Bauermeister is a former Commissioner of the Puerto Rico Telecommunications Regulatory Board and a former Member of the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissioners. In 2005, he was appointed as Chairman of NARUC’s Consumer Affairs Committee before opening his private practice in San Juan. His blog, Latino Internet Justice, focuses on telecommunications and Internet law.