Just in time for a committee hearing scheduled for this Friday, Reps. John Dingell (D-Mich.) and Gene Green (D-Texas) introduced H.R. 2482 to the U.S. House of Representatives, a bill to support the D-Block legislation (S. 911).
S. 911 recently passed the Senate Commerce Committee with a 21-4 vote, which gives public safety advocates hope that first responders will get the 700 MHz network they have been working towards. A spokesperson for the Public Safety Alliance says the next step is to get it through the hearing and to gain support from the House Energy and Commerce Commitee.
President Obama and the executive branch have expressed support for the bill, but this could hinder its progress just as much as it helps. The high-profile support has turned the bill into a "political football" in a currently divided government, with Democrats and Republicans using whatever tools they can to stay ahead of one another. This common problem of politics being brought into Public Safety has slowed and even halted many projects in the past. Now more than ever, the effort must be a bipartisan one, and focus must stay on lawmakers' responsibility to do what is best for first responders, and in turn all of us.
Some analysts are getting nervous about the ticking clock; the goal was to have D-Block legislation on the President's desk by the tenth anniversary of the September 11th, 2001 attacks. Some hypothesize that if it is not signed by then, it might be forgotten and not signed at all.
A writer from Urgent Communications, is more optimistic, saying the decision will ultimately come to a matter of money; can Congress find $11 million to build a Public Safety network? And even if they do, who will foot the bill if (and when) the nationwide network ends up costing more than anyone currently thinks?
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