I applaud Chairman Inouye for scheduling this hearing examining public safety issues.  We have had a focus on this subject for sometime and I want to join you in continuing that focus.

 

This Committee led the way in establishing a hard date to transfer 24 MHz of spectrum to public safety and allocated $1 billion for interoperability grants last year as part of our DTV bill.  Other public safety issues addressed by our Committee were the creation of a wireless alert and warning system and a Tsunami warning system.  We also allocated $43.5 million for E-911 system and $100 million for national alert system and funded the tsunami warning system.

 

Going forward now I am pleased that Chairman Inouye decided that interoperability would be one of the first bills that we introduced this year and I am proud to join him as a co-sponsor. It will provide grant guidance for the $1 billion interoperability grants that we provided last year.  Those funds will drive the public safety community forward in resolving the interoperability issues through planning, training and equipment grants as well as the establishment of technology reserves throughout the country.

 

Chairman Inouye also has highlighted 911 issues as important issues this Congress by agreeing to mark up S. 93 next week.  S. 93 will provide advanced borrowing authority so that the $43 million tagged for the 911 concept can be distributed to public safety before the DTV auction takes place.

 

The Cyren Call broadband trust is going to be one of the topics addressed here today.  It sounds like something good - in concept – could be good for public safety.  I have had a considerable number of questions raised as to whether this broadband trust proposal may undermine the progress on the DTV transition and interoperability grant distribution.  They have expressed fear that this program could undermine the funding that we provided for public safety last Congress.  I hope that we can have an opportunity to examine into this now and explore with the proponents of that concept alternative models that would not do what these people fear.  Thank you very much.