WASHINGTON, D.C. – November 9, 2011 – Public Safety officials sent a formal letter today to the co-chairs of the U.S. Congress’ Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction (“super committee”) urging them to include S.911, the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act of 2011, in deficit reduction legislation under consideration by the supercommittee, the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (APCO) International announced today.  The complete letter can be read at www.apcointl.org.

In the two-page letter, APCO International said that S.911 would reduce the federal deficit by at least $6.5 billion, while also implementing a major outstanding recommendation of the 9-11 Commission – the creation and funding of a nationwide interoperable public safety broadband network.

“On September 11, 2001, the U.S. experienced an unprecedented attack on our soil, and lives were lost due to the inability of first responders to effectively communicate with each other.  The 9-11 Commission called on Congress to act, but more than 10 years later this major recommendation continues to languish,” said APCO President Gregory T. Riddle in the written letter.  “With S. 911, we have an opportunity to enact a deficit-reducing bipartisan solution that is supported by nearly every major public safety organization (police, sheriff, fire and emergency medical), as well as the overwhelming majority of governors, mayors and public technologists throughout the U.S.”

S. 911 provides first responders with 10 MHz of broadband spectrum, commonly known as the D-block, in order to construct a nationwide interoperable broadband communications network.  To pay for the creation of this network, the legislation authorizes the Federal Communications Commission to conduct voluntary incentive auctions of a variety of spectrum. These voluntary auctions are projected by the Congressional Budget Office to raise at least $24.5 billion, of which at least $6.5 billion will go directly to deficit reduction.

Riddle continued in the letter, “This legislation is a win-win-win; it provides public safety and other first responders with life-saving communications tools, significantly reduces the deficit, and allows current spectrum license holders to auction off spectrum that they no longer need.”

The Public Safety community has consistently addressed the need for Congress to swiftly enact S.911 and allocate the D block spectrum to public safety to create a reliable public safety network so America’s first responders can better protect our nation.  S.911 is just one of five bills that has been introduced since January 2011, which allocates the D block to public safety (the other bills are HR607, HR2482, S.28 and S.1040).  All five bills address public safety’s top priorities – allocating the D Block to public safety, providing $10-12 billion in funding to build out the broadband network, establishing the necessary governance to manage the build out, maintenance and operations of the network and to include sufficient state and local government and public safety representation, and offsetting the deficit by auctioning other spectrum bands.

The super committee is charged with issuing a recommendation by November 23, 2011 for at least $1.5 trillion in additional deficit reduction steps to be undertaken over a 10‐year period.

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 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.