Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin unveiled a new plan to auction valuable airwaves to foster interoperable public-safety communications around the country, a proposal with nationwide and regional licensing approaches that retains a public-private partnership structure. The plan also advances other reforms sought in the controversial aftermath of the agency’s failed attempt to find a taker for the national first responder-commercial D-Block license during 700 MHz bidding earlier this year.
Martin, briefing reporters during a conference call Friday, is pushing for an FCC vote on the revamped D-Block proposal at the agency’s Sept. 25 open meeting. The five-member, Republican-controlled commission would not be voting to approve the proposal per se, but rather to put it out for public comment on a fast-track basis. Martin said the FCC could adopt final rules by year’s end and conduct the D-Block re-auction sometime between April and June next year.
With the 700 MHz spectrum becoming available by mid-February after the digital TV transition is completed, Martin said time is of the essence.
“Trying to solve this public-safety interoperability problem should be a top priority for everyone at the commission,” Martin said. “And I think we need to make sure that we’re going be able to do it and respond to this and move forward as absolutely as quickly as we can.”
Among the changes in the D-Block overhaul are a reduced reserve price of $750,000 (as opposed to $1.3 billion earlier this year), relaxed and flexible build-out requirements and greater transparency of the Public Safety Spectrum Trust Corp. (the 700 MHz public safety broadband licensee).
While Martin prefers a national D-Block approach because it would better ensure public-safety communications interoperability, the FCC chief’s plan includes licensing contingencies for 58 regional licenses as well as for a nationwide license. The regional licenses allow for technologies including LTE and WiMAX.
“We are pleased that Chairman Martin has circulated a draft Third Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to the other commissioners for consideration at an FCC meeting scheduled for September 25,” said Harlin McEwen, chairman of the PSST. “Although the actual proposal is not a public document, in the chairman’s comments at a media briefing on Friday he said he is proposing an approach for a D-Block auction that would allow bids on a single national basis or on a regional basis, and we believe that is a good approach. I am also pleased that he has proposed that the Public Safety Spectrum Trust will remain the Public Safety Broadband Licensee. In regards to additional requirements proposed for the PSST such as holding open meetings, the Board of Directors of the PSST has formed a task group to address this issue and will be presenting a logistical proposal to the Board in the near future.”
Martin said the revised D-Block plan would open opportunities for mobile-phone carriers, including national operators AT&T Mobility, Verizon Wireless, Sprint Nextel Corp. and T-Mobile USA Inc., that have extensive wireless infrastructure already deployed around the country.
“My policy priority is less about the impact on competition and more about the impact on making sure that local police and local fire departments are able to communicate during an emergency,” Martin stated. “And I think whatever we need to do make sure that that is build out is what should be our priority.
Problems with communications interoperability among first responders surfaced after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and destructive hurricanes, like Katrina, four years later.
Martin outlines plan for D-Block re-auction : Plan includes contingencies for 58 regional licenses as well as for a nationwide license
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