The 9/11 Commission recommended in its report (www.9- 11commissio...

The 9/11 Commission recommended in its report (www.9- 11commission.gov) that Congress “support” legislation that would open more spectrum for first responders. The report goes into great detail about communications problems among police, fire and other emergency responders on Sept. 11, 2001. There were communications problems at both the World Trade Center and Pentagon sites, the report said, and these problems prevented some firefighters in WTC from receiving evacuation orders. Though the report doesn’t endorse specific legislation, its description of legislation that “provides for the expedited and increased assignment of radio spectrum for public safety purposes” is identical to the bill description for HR-1425, from Rep. Harmon (D-Cal.) The Homeland Emergency Response Operations Act (HERO Act) would set a hard return date of Dec. 31, 2006, for return of analog spectrum from broadcasters. The bill would require the FCC to reassign 764-776 MHz and 794-806 MHz frequencies to public safety organizations. That spectrum has been set aside by the FCC for public safety but is currently occupied by broadcasters. In recent House Commerce Committee hearings, Chmn. Barton (R-Tex.) has also advocated sticking to the 2006 deadline, though broadcasters say it’s too early for a switch from analog to DTV. The Commission also recommended that Washington, D.C., N.Y.C. and other high-risk urban areas establish a “signal corps,” with significant funding from Congress, to help with interoperability during a crisis. Also, the report recommended more funding for the Homeland Security Dept.’s Directorate of Information Analysis & Infrastructure Protection, so it can better “bridge” communications between “frontline” agencies.