by Tom Wrobleski
STATEN ISLAND ADVANCE -- With the hard lessons of 9/11 in mind, Rep. Vito Fossella has teamed with a Democratic colleague to introduce legislation to make it easier for first responders to communicate with each other at emergency scenes.
Fossella and Rep. Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) want to establish a $500 million dedicated federal grant program so states and localities can build interoperable communications systems for their first responders.
"Our nation tragically learned on September 11th that first responders must have a compatible communications system that allows them to coordinate their actions at an emergency," said Fossella (R-Staten Island/Brooklyn). "When our first responders are unable to communicate with one another, we place their lives at risk, as well as the lives of innocent people who rely on them for safety."
An interoperable system in New York City, for example, would allow the NYPD to communicate with the FDNY, the Port Authority or any other agency that responds to an emergency or disaster scene.
Such free-flowing communication was wanting on 9/11 and hampered rescue efforts at the World Trade Center.
States and localities currently receive funds on a year-to-year basis for communications interoperability but have no guarantee of receiving funding to implement or finalize new systems.
"As a former law enforcement officer, I know that for our nation's brave police officers, radios and the ability to communicate are often more important tools than a sidearm," said Stupak, a former police officer and Michigan state trooper.
The Public Safety Interoperability Implementation Act would establish a Public Safety Communications Trust Fund in the U.S. Treasury to create a fully interoperable communications system for the nation's first responders.
The fund would be paid for with revenue generated by the auction of 60 MHz of spectrum in the 700MHz radio band, which is expected to take place in January 2008.
It is estimated that the band is worth between $15 billion and $20 billion; the legislation would dedicate any proceeds from the auction that exceed $11 billion to the trust fund.
The bill will now go to the House Energy and Commerce Committee, on which both Fossella and Stupak sit.
 |
