Reposting from “Fresh Ideas in Public Safety” Blog by Karen Tandy on Feb 22, 2012.
For years, public safety agencies, government officials and communications industry leaders including Motorola Solutions have called for allocating a portion of the 700 MHz spectrum, known as the D Block, for use by police and fire departments and other first responders.
Congress has answered that call by voting to set aside the D Block to establish the National Public Safety Network. The president says he will sign the bill into law as soon as he receives it from Congress.
Dedicating the D Block and the adjoining spectrum to public safety will provide them with the latest advanced wireless broadband solutions, such as real-time video, to perform their missions more effectively and efficiently. The new spectrum allocation will also make possible the interoperable communications that are urgently needed for different agencies to talk and work with each other, which was a key recommendation of the 9/11 Commission.
In addition to allocating the D Block, the law creates the Public Safety Trust Fund to assist state and local government agencies with building and maintaining the new national network.
We commend Congress and the administration for allocating the D Block for public safety. Just as Motorola Solutions has been there for our public safety customers around the world for decades, we remain dedicated to serving them and investing in the research and development to produce the advanced communications solutions that are vital for our nation’s welfare and security.
Karen Tandy is senior vice president of public affairs, Motorola Solutions, Inc.