Today, the White House held a meeting of government officials, public safety and industry stakeholders – including UTC – regarding the need to construct a nationwide public safety broadband network. In conjunction with the meeting, the White House released a report "detailing the Administration’s effort to develop and deploy a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network." The meeting also featured Vice President Biden, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, Attorney General Eric Holder, Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Julius Genachowski, Assistant to the President for Homeland Security and Counterterrorism John Brennan, Maryland Governor Martin O'Malley (D.), and New York City Police Commissioner Ray Kelly. Also invited were public safety, state and local and industry representatives.

The meeting comes on the heels of the passage of S.911, the 700 megahertz D Block reallocation legislation, out of the Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee during mark-up last week. The meeting appears intended to keep momentum going as the bill must still go to the Senate floor for a vote and then to the House, where it reportedly faces opposition from Republicans who are concerned about the funding provisions of the bill. Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee Chairman John D. Rockefeller IV (D-WV) reportedly said, "[m]y hope is that this meeting and efforts by other leaders on this will help get the Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act to the Senate floor for a vote." Rockefeller and ranking minority leader Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) want to pass the bill before the tenth anniversary of 9/11, but staff in the House and Senate are reportedly questioning whether they will be able to meet that deadline.

For more details, contact the UTC Legal/Regulatory Department.