By Laura DeKoven Waxman
February 14, 2011

President Barack Obama provided additional details about his plan to expand wireless public safety communications during his February 10 address at Northern Michigan University in Marquette. Specifically, he called for reallocating the D Block to public safety, a priority for the Conference of Mayors and other state and local government and public safety organizations.

Through his Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative, the President intends to catalyze “the build out of high-speed wireless services that will enable businesses to grow faster, students to learn more, and public safety officials to access state-of-the-art, secure, nationwide, and interoperable mobile communications,” according to the White House press release.

A White House fact sheet indicates that the President’s budget, which will be sent to Congress February 14, will call for $10.7 billion to support the development and deployment of a nationwide wireless public safety broadband network. It says that the reallocation of the D Block for public safety is “an important element of this plan.” The budget will provide $3.2 billion to reallocate the D Block, $7 billion to support the deployment of the network and $500 million through a Wireless Innovation (WIN) Fund for R&D and technological development to tailor the network to public safety requirements.

The Initiative sets a goal of freeing up 500 MHz of spectrum and raising $27.8 billion over the next decade through voluntary incentive auctions and more efficient use of government spectrum. From this, $9.6 billion would go to deficit reduction; the rest would be used to support the development of the wireless public safety broadband network and other aspects of the plan.