Walking through Fort Lauderdale Airport recently, I heard the oft-repeated warning that the public-safety threat has been raised to orange. I think its time to change the phrasing: When was the last time the threat level at an airport has been below orange?
As a nation, we have accepted the extra precautions that now must be taken in the name of national security. We use our Ziplock bags to store carry-on liquids, and there are no longer mounds of lotions and other skin products piled up outside of security lines because we understand the 3-ounce limit on liquids. We may not be happy about it, but we’re playing by the rules.
With that in the back of my mind, I was disappointed to hear that Frontline has dropped out of plans to bid on the public-safety/commercial spectrum in the 700 MHz auction. To tell you the truth, I’ve never been that excited about a mixed-use network. I tend to think of public safety in much different terms than I do wireless entertainment. I still can’t quite picture how a carrier can offer wireless services that its subscribers can use for fun – sending pictures, messages, checking game scores – with a network that also can be used by first-responders in times of emergency.
But I figured people much smarter than me – Haynes Griffin, Reed Hundt, Janice Obuchowski – knew what they were talking about. And they said it could be done. But for whatever reason, that group decided the venture was too risky because they’re not bidding.
The irony is everywhere: The Wall Street Journal ran an editorial accusing Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin of tailoring the rules to suit Frontline, a charge Martin denies.
Regardless, Frontline was the most vocal supporter of teh D-Block concept. Verizon Wireless, which had quietly hinted that it could build a shared-use network for public safety but never produced an actual proposal, is now mentioned as one of the carriers that could still bid on the D Block.
Meanwhile, skepticism continues on whether anyone will bid on the D Block, and public safety isn’t any closer to a working solution to its communications problems. This leads me back to my original stance: It’s not the commercial wireless industry’s place to solve the government’s communications issues. On to plan B, anyone?
Apples and oranges
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