By Ron Thaniel
October 31, 2005

One week after the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation voted to set April 7, 2009, as the deadline for television stations to switch to digital broadcasts and relinquish spectrum for public safety and new wireless use, the House Energy and Commerce Committee followed by establishing a December 31, 2008 deadline on October 26.

The Senate and House actions sets a date certain by which first responders will be able to use an additional 24 MHz of spectrum recovered from the digital transition.

In addition, the measures create an interoperability grant program for first responders to purchase the expensive interoperable systems. While far short of $15 billion needed to build out a nationwide interoperable communications system, the House bill would provide $500 million and the Senate bill would provide $1 billion to establish this grant program.

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) estimated that interoperability solutions would cost more than $15 billion. Highlighting this costs, the Conference’s 2004 Interoperable Communications Survey of 192 Cities reported that cities under 100,000 reported an average of $4.7 million in funding is needed to achieve full interoperability. Cities of 100,001 to 400,000 reported an average of $5.4 million is needed to achieve full interoperability. Cities over 400,001 reported an average of $30 million is needed to achieve full interoperability.

At the Conference of Mayors October 24 homeland security press conference releasing the 2005 National Action Plan on Safety and Security in America’s Cities Working Paper, Conference President Long Beach Mayor Beverly O’Neill and Homeland Security Task Force Co-Chairs Baltimore Mayors Martin O’Malley and Sugar Land (TX) Mayor David Wallace, urged immediate Congressional action establishing a deadline for the spectrum transfer for public safety as well as financial assistance to purchase the interoperable systems.

The measures also would set aside resources to subsidize a digital-to-analog converter box fund. The House bill provides $990 million. The Senate measure would provide up to $3 billion. This fund will help consumers that rely on over-the-air television purchase equipment that converts digital signals back to analog. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that 15 million homes rely on over-the-air broadcasting.

The U.S. Conference of Mayors adopted policy at its 73rd Annual Meeting this past June urging Congress to limit the disruption of over-the-air broadcast by subsidizing digital-to-analog television converter equipment from proceeds of a 700 MHz spectrum auction.

The measures also will free 60 MHz of spectrum for next-generation wireless broadband service.