WASHINGTON, D.C.—The U.S. Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation held a full committee hearing today titled, Safeguarding Our Future: Building a Nationwide Network for First Responders.

Witness List:

The Honorable Peter T. King, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. House of Representatives

Panel I

The Honorable Raymond W. Kelly, Police Commissioner, City of New York 

The Honorable Jack A. Markell, Governor, State of Delaware, on behalf of the National Governors Association

Mr. Al Gillespie, Chief, North Las Vegas Fire Department and First Vice President, International Association of Fire Chiefs 

Mr. Joe Hanna, President, Directions, Inc.

Key Quotations from Today’s Hearing:

“Tragedy knows no boundaries. Emergencies occur every day in urban and rural communities across the country. Whether it’s terrorism or a tornado, a hurricane or a brush fire, one thing rings universally true. When an emergency happens, we rely on first responders like police, firefighters, and public safety officials to keep us from harm. Far too often we talk about important role these brave first responders play but fail to give them the tools they need to do their job. I think it is long past time to do something about that.”

Chairman John D. (Jay) Rockefeller IV

“Reallocating the D-Block to public safety for the development of a national interoperable public safety wireless broadband network is critically important and is exactly what America’s first responders have long advocated. That is why I, along with Ranking Member Thompson, have introduced H.R. 607, the Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011. I am grateful to Chairman Rockefeller for convening this hearing and look forward to working with him, as well as Senators Lieberman and McCain on this important issue.”

The Honorable Peter T. King, Chairman, Committee on Homeland Security, U.S. House of Representatives

“Today, a 16-year-old with a smart phone has a more advanced communications capability than a police officer or deputy carrying a radio. Given the technology that is available, and the complexity of the threat we face, that is unacceptable. It will only change if we succeed in building a nationwide broadband network to a mission-critical grade of service.”

The Honorable Raymond W. Kelly, Police Commissioner, City of New York

“The development of an interoperable broadband network for public safety is essential for enhancing the ability of first responders to protect our citizens from harm and respond to requests for emergency assistance. The cornerstone of such a network is dedicated spectrum; specifically, the reallocation of the 700 MHz D block to public safety.”

The Honorable Jack A. Markell, Governor, State of Delaware, on behalf of the National Governors Association

“Over the past fifty years, America’s domestic defenders have been allocated thin slices of spectrum in each new band as it became available. That is why, today, we have over 55,000 public safety agencies each operating their own mission critical radio system over six or more different bands. This makes our goal of interoperability both difficult and expensive. After numerous major events and other significant disasters, it is clear that a new model is necessary: a national architecture for public safety wireless communications. To achieve a nationwide, public safety, wireless, interoperable, broadband network, key elements need to be in place.”

Mr. Al Gillespie, Chief, North Las Vegas Fire Department and First Vice President, International Association of Fire Chiefs

“As I am sure that you will hear from all of the panelists, it is inexcusable that almost ten years following the tragic events of September 11th and the carnage inflicted upon the residents of the Gulf Coast following Hurricane Katrina, America’s first responders still find themselves ill equipped to communicate to the degree they need and deserve.”

Mr. Joe Hanna, President, Directions, Inc.

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