The Federal Communications Commission released yesterday the rules it adopted for the auction of spectrum in the 700MHz band, marking an important step towards the creation of a nationwide public safety-commercial broadband network.

As RCR reports, "The agency voted to designate for auction a nationwide 10MHz spectrum block adjacent to a 12MHz public-safety block that will be available for consumer and first-responder communications, with the latter having priority access during emergencies."
Dailywireless.org provides a detailed breakdown of the 700 MHz Band Plan, but I've distilled the most significant public safety provisions below.

The 10MHz Upper D Block will be licensed on a nationwide basis and will become part of a 700 MHz Public Safety/Private Partnership.
Within the 24MHz of public safety spectrum, the public safety wideband spectrum is being re-designated for broadband use (12MHz of narrowband and 12MHz of broadband) to allow for nationwide interoperable broadband communications by public safety users.

The public safety broadband spectrum is placed in a 10MHz block at the bottom of this band (creating a 22MHz broadband block), and the existing public safety narrowband spectrum is consolidated in a 12MHz block at the top of the band.

There will be a single, nationwide license for the public safety broadband spectrum, assigned to a Public Safety Broadband Licensee, which will work with the adjacent commercial D Block licensee as part of the 700 MHz Public Safety/Private Partnership.

The Upper D Block commercial licensee and the Public Safety Broadband Licensee will form a Public Safety/Private Partnership to develop a shared, nationwide interoperable network for both commercial and public safety users.

It's good to see that the many competing proposals considered by the Commission haven't derailed the DTV transition, which the FRC has long supported. The DTV transition is the fastest method for improving first responder communications and achieving interoperability, and the many "last-minute" and unproven proposals introduced, while well-intended, threatened to undo much of the work Congress had done to improve first responder communications.
While the FCC's rules are a positive step forward for achieving first responder interoperability, much work remains and many questions have been left unanswered.

What will the "public/private" partnership envisioned by the FCC look like? Under the conditions set by the FCC, who will be willing to partner with first responders on a shared national wireless network?
Will court challenges to the FCC's 700MHz rules complicate matters for the agency and first responders, thereby delaying the strides being made towards interoperability?

What additional action will Congress and policy makers take to provide funding and support to fix interoperability? If the 700 MHz auctions yield sufficient revenue, should additional funds beyond the $1 billion be allocated to public safety interoperability efforts? (Hint: YES!)

How can we facilitate greater cooperation between local, state, and federal governments - a persistent hurdle in efforts to achieve interoperability?

And will the Administration ever set a "date certain" by which to achieve interoperability so the nation can unite behind a single goal for our first responders?

That's right... one billion dollars! First responders are finally going to get the money they need to update their outdated communications systems.
The Deficit Reduction Act of 2005 created a Public Safety Interoperable Communications (PSIC) Grant Program which makes available $968,385,000 in grants to first responders across the United States. The money for this grant program will be generated from the upcoming spectrum auction as part of the transition to digital television.

The PSIC grant program will assist public safety agencies in the acquisition, deployment, and training of interoperable communications systems that utilize- or enable interoperability with communications systems that can utilize- reallocated 700 MHz spectrum to enhance interoperable communications of voice, data, and/or video signals.

In his remarks at a press conference announcing the availability of the money, Secy. Chertoff stressed an important point about the role of governance that I think deserves some thoughtful consideration.

Let me conclude by saying this. You know part of the capability that is necessary is not just a matter of equipment. I mean clearly you have got to have the right equipment. But it is also a matter of training and it's a matter of having a common agreement on governance.
People have to know what are the frequencies they're going to use or what is the gateway they're going to use to bridge the frequencies. They have to know what language they're going to use . . . They have to determine who are the command elements that actually talk to one another.

Some of this is a matter that can be addressed by money, but some of it requires frankly getting people to sit down and come to a common vision of the way they're going to organize themselves so they can be interoperable.

To date, FRC supporters have collected over 5,500 signatures in support of a National First Responder Appreciation Day that honors all first responders for their contributions, sacrifices and dedication to public service.
I want to give a special thanks to Ann Murphy from Scotland, Georgia for not only signing the petition but getting her friends, family members and local first responders to support this important cause.

Ann answered the call to get others in her community involved and signed up 200 of her friends and neighbors. Thanks for your amazing efforts, Ann!

It is because of the groundswell of support we've received from thousands of concerned citizens like Ann that enabled us to get the Senate to pass S.Res.215 - a resolution to make September 25th National First Responder Appreciation Day.

Our goal now is to get the House of Representatives to pass a similar resolution, and to do that we're going to need your help. Here's what you can do:

1. If you haven't done so already, sign the petition!
2. Contribute a few bucks so we can keep the campaign alive!

3. Tell as many people as you know that if catfish deserve a national day of recognition, then so do the brave men and women who protect our communities!

4. Spread the word by adding us as your friend on your MySpace or Facebook!

A resolution to make September 25, 2007 National First Responder Appreciation Day has been introduced into the Senate! The resolution has been co-sponsored by several Senators, including Senators Dick Durbin (IL), Joe Lieberman (CT), presidential hopeful John McCain (AZ), any many more.

Now it's time to make our voices heard! Write a letter to your Senator TODAY urging them to:

1. Support the call for a National First Responder Appreciation Day by signing on as a co-sponsor of S.Res.215. 2. Urge their colleagues to support the resolution.

We must convince Congress to act! If we don't, our first responders might not get the national day of appreciation that they deserve.
Make your voices heard! Send a letter to your Senators TODAY urging them to support National First Responder Appreciation Day!

The resolution has been co-sponsored by several other Senators, including John McCain, Bob Casey and Lindsey Graham.

Getting the resolution introduced is an important first step - one we should all be proud of. But we still have to convince Congress to act! So if you haven't already done so, urge your Senators to support a national day of appreciation for our first responders TODAY!

110th CONGRESS 1st Session
S. RES. 215
Designating September 25, 2007, as

'National First Responder Appreciation Day'. IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES
May 24, 2007

Mr. ALLARD (for himself, Mr. MCCAIN, Mr. CASEY, Mr. COCHRAN, Mr. ENZI, Mr. STEVENS, Mr. GRAHAM, Mr. CHAMBLISS, Mr. CRAIG, and Mr. INHOFE) submitted the following resolution; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary

RESOLUTION
Designating September 25, 2007, as `National First Responder Appreciation Day'.

Whereas millions of Americans have benefited from the courageous service of first responders across the Nation;

Whereas the police, fire, emergency medical service, and public health personnel (commonly known as `first responders') work devotedly and selflessly on behalf of the people of this Nation, regardless of the peril or hazard to themselves;

Whereas in emergency situations, first responders carry out the critical role of protecting and ensuring public safety;

Whereas the men and women who bravely serve as first responders have found themselves on the front lines of homeland defense in the war against terrorism;

Whereas first responders are called upon in the event of a natural disaster, such as the tornadoes in Florida and the blizzard in Colorado in December 2006, the wildfires in the West in 2007, and the flooding in the Northeast in April 2007;

Whereas the critical role of first responders was witnessed in the aftermath of the mass shooting at the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, when the collaborative effort of police officers, firefighters, and emergency medical technicians to secure the campus, rescue students from danger, treat the injured, and transport victims to local hospitals undoubtedly saved the lives of many students and faculty;

Whereas 670,000 police officers, 1,100,000 firefighters, and 891,000 emergency medical technicians risk their lives every day to make our communities safe;

Whereas these 670,000 sworn police officers from Federal, State, tribal, city, and county law enforcement agencies protect lives and property, detect and prevent crimes, uphold the law, and ensure justice;

Whereas these 1,100,000 firefighters, both volunteer and career, provide fire suppression, emergency medical services, search and rescue, hazardous materials response, response to terrorism, and critical fire prevention and safety education;

Whereas the 891,000 emergency medical professionals in the United States respond to and treat a variety of life-threatening emergencies, from cardiac and respiratory arrest to traumatic injuries;

Whereas these 2,661,000 `first responders' make personal sacrifices to protect our communities, as was witnessed on September 11, 2001, and in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, and as is witnessed every day in cities and towns across America;

Whereas according to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund, a total of 1,649 law enforcement officers died in the line of duty during the past 10 years, an average of 1 death every 53 hours or 165 per year, and 145 law enforcement officers were killed in 2006;

Whereas, according to the United States Fire Administration, from 1996 through 2005 over 1500 firefighters were killed in the line of duty, and tens of thousands were injured;

Whereas 4 in 5 medics are injured on the job, more than 1 in 2 (52 percent) have been assaulted by a patient and 1 in 2 (50 percent) have been exposed to an infectious disease, and emergency medical service personnel in the United States have an estimated fatality rate of 12.7 per 100,000 workers, more than twice the national average;

Whereas most emergency medical service personnel deaths in the line of duty occur in ambulance accidents;

Whereas thousands of first responders have made the ultimate sacrifice;

Whereas, in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, America's firefighters, law enforcement officers, and emergency medical workers were universally recognized for the sacrifices they made on that tragic day, and should be honored each year as these tragic events are remembered;

Whereas there currently exists no national day to honor the brave men and women of the first responder community, who give so much of themselves for the sake of others; and
Whereas these men and women by their patriotic service and their dedicated efforts have earned the gratitude of Congress: Now, therefore, be it

Resolved, That the Senate designates September 25, 2007, as `National First Responder Appreciation Day' to honor and celebrate the contributions and sacrifices made by all first responders in the United States.

...not a single public-safety licensee has been rebanded during this time; in fact, none are even scheduled to move to their new frequencies, even though the two-year mark of what was supposed to be a three-year project is just eight weeks away. And no scheduling will begin until the FCC acts on a joint letter from public safety and Sprint Nextel asking that the Transition Administrator be authorized to establish a revised timetable, which likely will extend rebanding at least two additional years. [emphasis added]

The House of Representatives has released its annual report card on the Department of Homeland Security and it reads like my high school transcript:

Establish the Office of Emergency Communications, which is charged with completing a National Emergency Communications Strategy by October 4, 2007;
Identify ways to expedite the adoption of consensus standards for emergency communications equipment;

Conduct a second assessment as a follow-up to the National Interoperability Baseline released in December 2006. (Actually, the NIJ was in the middle of doing a comprehensive review of interoperable communications when funding for the program was recently discontinued.)

The following is a press release from the Department of Homeland Security:

Science and Technology Directorate Establishes TechSolutions Program to Support Emergency Response Community
Release Date: March 28, 2007

For Immediate Release
Office of the Press Secretary
Contact: 202-282-9772

The Department of Homeland Security's Science and Technology (S&T) directorate has established a program, TechSolutions, to support the first responder community by accelerating delivery of emerging technologies. TechSolutions is designed to collect technological requirements and provide solutions for first responders.

"No one understands the needs of first responders better than first responders," said Jay M. Cohen, Under Secretary for S&T. "Every day, hundreds of law enforcement officers, fire fighters, emergency medical services personnel and bomb-squad members think, 'there's a better way to do this,' and we want to hear from them."

S&T's commitment to spiral development and rapid prototyping ensures funding for selected proposals within 45 days, and a solution demonstrated within 12 months of funding. Costs of the solutions should be commensurate with the proposal, but less than $1 million per project. Solutions also should deliver up to 100 percent of identified requirements, and first responders will partner with the department from start to finish.

First responders are encouraged to submit ideas that would aid the first responder community by increasing efficiency and on-the-job safety at: www.dhs.gov/techsolutions.