Washington, D.C. — Leaders from the public and private sectors, as well as public safety technologists and innovators planning and deploying mission-critical broadband networks, today came together at APCO International’s first-ever Public Safety Broadband Summit in Washington, D.C. to rally around the pressing need for a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network.  APCO International, the world’s largest organization of public safety communications professionals, is aiming to shed light on the merits of current legislation in Congress, S.28 and H.R.607, which would reallocate D block spectrum to public safety.

In conjunction with Police Week, APCO’s Public Safety Broadband Summit this morning highlighted the ongoing negotiations on the aforementioned Senate and House legislation. Notable quotes from the event include:

Scott Poster, Deputy Chief of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, said, “Consideration of tactical operations in the field is critical as we test and focus on further development of public safety communications networks. We need to take care of our first responders on the ground; ensuring that they are able to talk with one another in the field is critical to helping make sure they’re safe.”

Bill Schrier, CTO, City of Seattle and APCO Broadband Committee Chair, said, “We in cities and states have discovered that governance – jurisdictions and agencies working together – is the most important ingredient in building large-scale networks. I’m pleased to see that the federal government has recognized that, as well.”

Charles Dowd, Deputy Chief, NYPD, said, “Whereas solving homicides once took weeks or months, often now the process can take less than an hour. The ability of advanced software to find key information on disparate databases wasn’t always there. Just like smart software is making public safety processes more efficient, deploying an advanced public safety broadband networks can transform the way we do law enforcement, making it more effective. We need to have a sense of urgency on the issue like Hurricane Katrina happened last week.”

APCO Executive Director  George Rice said, “Making deployment of a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network a priority will uphold the future of public safety and, therefore, the safety of the public.”

Police officers, firefighters, EMS workers and the entire public safety community is urging Congress to pass these bills before the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks, in part because a robust, advanced wireless network for public safety’s use is the only unmet recommendation of the 9/11 Commission. And according to APCO spokesperson Sean Kirkendall, the date represents a window of opportunity that is fast-closing.

“Our community needs to begin laying the groundwork now for a nationwide public safety network, so we can ride the wave of technology and begin testing sophisticated, mission-critical wireless applications that will save lives,” said Kirkendall. “Unfortunately, discussed agreements with commercial partners aren’t evergreen, and we can’t afford to waste more time.”

Kirkendall added, “Aggregation of the 10 megahertz that comprise the D block with the 10 megahertz public safety currently holds is crucial, because the spectrum bands are complementary. Building on 20 megahertz today will cost half as much as attempting to expand to 20 megahertz in the future. This is a one-time opportunity.”

About APCO International
APCO International is the world’s largest organization of public safety communications professionals. It serves the needs of public safety communications practitioners worldwide—and the welfare of the general public as a whole—by providing complete expertise, professional development, technical assistance, advocacy and outreach.