While the Senate Commerce Committee is expected to approve a bill allocating the 700 MHz D block to public safety on June 8, the House Energy and Commerce Committee has only just begun consideration of the issue, holding the first of four hearings on Wednesday, May 25, 2011.   

Witness at the hearing included representatives from the ARRL (ham radio), Motorola, Harris, Direction (representing commercial interests), Telephone and Data Systems, and the Public Safety Alliance (PSA). 

Unlike the Senate Commerce Committee, members of the House committee were skeptical of allocating the extra 10 MHz to public safety, noting that they have already been given 94 MHz (including 24 in the 700 MHz band) and $13B in federal funds with nothing much to show for it except a plethora of islanded narrowband systems. 

Full Committee Chair Upton questioned whether it is really a question of capacity, not spectrum, noting that his hometown police have a "double digit" number of systems that can't talk to each other.  Rep. Terry went even further, stating, "I don't think new spectrum, a new system or a new bureaucracy [referencing the PS Broadband Corporation created by the Rockefeller bill to manage the spectrum, federal grants, and network construction and operations] will solve the problem."  Islanded systems as well as propriety equipment should be avoided [Motorola was blasted for the highcost of P25 radios], while leveraging of existing infrastructure and commercial innovation/technology should be maximized to bring down costs. 

Chief Johnson, representing the PSA, did mention utilities as important partners with public safety in terms of emergency response efforts, but it was commercial service providers that he cited as appropriate partners in network build-out. 

Recent developments such as White House, DHS and FCC support would seem to favor allocation of the D block to PS,but it was evident that the House Committee members need more convincing. 

The second hearing on the issue is scheduled for June 1st, with two more planned for later in the summer.  Subcommittee Chairman Walden has made it clear that he does not consider 9/11 the deadline for committee action.  Rather, he plans to take his time.