STATEMENT OF STEVEN JONES, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF THE FIRST RESPONSE COALITION

FCC SPECTRUM SUMMIT, JUNE 1, 2007

Good morning. My name is Steven Jones, and I am Executive Director of the First Response Coalition. I'd like to thank the FCC for inviting me here today to discuss the critical issues of first responder communications and how we can best use the 700 MHz spectrum from the DTV transition to help first responders and improve public safety.

The First Response Coalition (FRC) is a non-profit organization dedicated to helping first responders obtain the resources they need to protect our communities. The FRC educates policymakers and the public on critical first responder issues through policy reports, events, and interacting with key officials at all levels of government. The FRC is comprised of first responders and their "friends and family" who care deeply about our firefighters, police, EMTs, and other emergency personnel. The FRC has over 30,000 individual supporters across the country. Nearly 20 national organizations have joined our efforts, including the National Black Police Association, the National Association of Hispanic Firefighters, the All Hazards Consortium, and Southeast Louisiana Search and Rescue, among others. The FRC's work on first responder communications issues has been featured in numerous national media outlets, including Newsweek, the Washington Post, and CNN's Anderson Cooper 360. FRC reports and initiatives have been endorsed by leaders on both sides of the political aisle, including Senators Susan Collins and Joe Lieberman and Representative Jane Harman.

As a former first responder, public safety communications are very important to me personally. I served as a firefighter and EMT in Northern California for six years. Before coming to the FRC, I worked as a policy analyst in the Department of Fire & EMS Operations at the International Association of Fire Fighters (IAFF). I understand both the practical and the policy issues involved with public safety communications and I am happy to bring this unique perspective to our discussion today.

On our topic of Managing Public Safety Spectrum for Efficiency and Protecting the Public Interest, the FRC believes that our first priority must be getting spectrum and financial resources into the hands of first responders as quickly as possible. There is a lot of rhetoric about using the 700 MHz spectrum. But my message to the Commission and everyone here is simple. Public safety should not be left to "risky business."

It is critical that we "fix" interoperability now. We have seen the terrible results of communications failures in the numerous major national and regional disasters the country has endured, especially over the last few years. An effective emergency response hinges on the ability of first responders to seamlessly communicate with each other, and within and among all levels of government.

The FRC supports the DTV transition and the allocation of 700 MHz spectrum as currently planned because it is the fastest method for improving first responder communications and achieving interoperability. The new public safety spectrum in the 700 MHz band will be available to augment current communications systems and enable first responders to expand their capabilities beyond voice and into advanced data and video applications. First responders will utilize the $1 billion grant fund, established as part of the DTV transition, to obtain desperately needed equipment and training.

I know that having access to streaming video, for example, at the scene of an emergency would be invaluable. The ability to share real-time information and visuals from an incident with other responders, public safety officials, and emergency managers allows first responders to perform their jobs more safely and effectively.

The 700 MHz auction and public safety spectrum allocation is a major opportunity for all of us and we must use this resource to help solve the interoperability problem as soon as possible. The DTV transition process achieves this goal.

The alternative spectrum proposals, while well-intentioned, fail the first test of expediency. While it is critical to discuss the best way to use the valuable 700 MHz spectrum, we cannot afford to get bogged down in a debate of "this spectrum block versus that one" or "who will partner with whom" in order to get these new networks off the ground. I am wary of leaving critical public safety communications issues to a plan developed by venture capitalists whose understandable priority will be commercial success. My first priority is to ensure first responders receive the money they need and access to the new spectrum as soon as possible. Coupled with effective governance, public safety personnel can ensure that new communications systems built with 700 MHz spectrum meet their needs and are based on specific local conditions.

We are already witnessing such first responder knowledge initiative in several communities where 700 MHz spectrum has been made available. Local first responders are using the spectrum to deploy advanced communications services and applications, including video and real-time monitoring. In our March 2007 report, the FRC profiled several states and localities using these news technologies. They are on the cutting edge.

For example, the next generation of public safety communications interoperability in Utah is being developed with the Utah Wireless Integrated Network (UWIN) project. The mobile data portion of the UWIN network is carried on spectrum in the 700 MHz band that was made available as part of the DTV transition and allows several emergency response organizations to interface seamlessly.

In Washington, DC, the nation's first citywide broadband wireless public safety network, operating in the new 700MHz spectrum, enables the provision of remote surveillance capabilities, chemical and biological detection, and other advanced services. The network covers 95% of the District and is a dedicated public safety, all IP network. It will eventually be expanded to include the entire National Capital Region.

These projects show we do not need complex new spectrum plans. We already have a good plan in the DTV transition. I do not support changing this plan, which took years to construct, to try untested business models at the last minute. We certainly should not mandate that the spectrum auctions be changed based on one new proposal. Unfortunately, this is what I see happening with ideas like the Frontline approach. While I applaud Frontline and others for developing interesting ideas for first responder communications, I am concerned that we are focusing on these ideas only because they are new and that we are forgetting about the urgent need to fix the interoperability problem.

Frontline is a business proposal, one that is difficult to understand. I want a first responder proposal, and that's what the DTV transition offers - 24 MHz of spectrum and $1 billion dollars available for first responders as soon as possible.

We simply do not know whether Frontline or any other new model will work. These alternative spectrum ideas are risky. I support innovation and "outside the box" thinking, but there is little in the Frontline proposal as filed that explains how the model would unfold in reality, how the financing would be generated, or how the proposal would be supported commercially. What if the approach fails? What happens to first responders then? This should give us all pause.

I believe that Congress and policy makers must take action to provide funding and support to fix interoperability. The FCC needs to make a sound decision on the 700 MHz spectrum to assure communications interoperability is achieved quickly and at reasonable costs. Congress should make more funding available for first responder communications. If the 700 MHz auctions yield sufficient revenue, additional funds beyond the $1 billion should be allocated. We need greater cooperation between local, state, and federal governments. And, as the FRC has repeatedly called for, we need a date certain to achieve interoperability so the nation can unite behind a single goal for our first responders. As I said, public safety should not be left to "risky business."

Again, I applaud Frontline and others for offering new spectrum proposals. They may well have a business model that will work, but I am not ready to rely on a risky proposal that if not successful, could leave first responders with no solution to interoperability once again - and facing additional years before the problem is fixed. The DTV transition is working and we should continue on its course. It's the fastest way to help our first responder heroes.