Rockefeller praises public safety network in Obama jobs bill

Sen. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.V.), chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, on Monday praised the inclusion of a public safety broadband network in President Obama's jobs bill

“I am pleased to see that President Obama's jobs plan includes proposals to invest in the wireless economy and provide first responders with the communications tools they need to do their jobs safely and effectively,” Rockefeller said in a statement.  “Investment in this sector can create hundreds of thousands of jobs, help first responders and generate billions of dollars for deficit reduction. It's a win-win-win proposal. And I look forward to working with my colleagues to make this happen.” 

Obama's jobs bill would allocate the "D block" of spectrum for the creation of a nationwide public safety network. The network would allow first-responders from different jurisdictions to communicate during emergencies and would allow them to transmit video and data in real-time.

The 9/11 Commission Report identified communication breakdowns as a critical problem that hampered first-responders. Sen. Rockefeller tried to pass a public safety network into law before the 10th anniversary of the terrorist attacks on Sunday. 

The network is part of a broader spectrum provision in President Obama's bill that would expand broadband access and raise revenue through incentive auctions of spectrum.

Obama's American Jobs Act would spend $10 billion to build the public safety network and expand broadband access to 98 percent of Americans but would raise $28 billion from spectrum auctions, according to a White House fact sheet.

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