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D-Block Bill Gaining Momentum; Tell Congress to Support S. 911!

Published Date: 08.23.2011

In May, Senators Jay Rockefeller (D-WV) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) introduced S. 911, the Strengthening Public-safety and Enhancing Communications Through Reform, Utilization, and Modernization (SPECTRUM) Act. The bill, which would allocate 10 MHz of radio spectrum in the 700 MHz band (commonly referred to as the “D-Block”) to public safety for the purpose of building a nationwide broadband communications network, was subsequently approved by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation and now awaits consideration by the full Senate.

On July 20, the Congressional Budget Office released a cost estimate for S. 911 which found that the bill “would reduce net direct spending by $6.5 billion” over the next 10 years. According to a joint statement from Senators Rockefeller and Hutchison, “The Congressional Budget Office’s estimate reconfirms that our bill builds a robust public safety network, pays for itself, and still generates real deficit reduction. This is just another step along the path to final passage. S. 911 has strong bipartisan support, and we look forward to getting it through the Senate.”

Click here to contact your Senators today and tell them to co-sponsor S. 911, the SPECTRUM Act, to reduce the budget deficit and provide emergency responders with the communications tools that they need!

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