The Wireless Future of Public Safety

What Spectrum? Whose Network?

New America Foundation
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
3:30 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.

Nearly six years after the 9/11 Commission Report urged the deployment of a nationwide interoperable public safety communications network, this gap still exists. High-capacity mobile broadband networks have the potential to vastly improve the tools and effectiveness of public safety agencies, yet the debate about the nature and cost of the network grinds on.

A central question has been whether and how public safety should share and leverage spectrum and network infrastructure with commercial providers that are in the process of upgrading to far faster 4th Generation services. In its recent National Broadband Plan, the FCC recommended that a portion of the TV Band spectrum requested by public safety for reallocation (the "D Block") be auctioned quickly for commercial use - and that it would be technically feasible and most cost-effective for public safety to leverage commercial network infrastructure.

At this event, the FCC will release its analysis concluding that the 10 MHz of dedicated TV band spectrum already available to public safety is ample for most of public safety's needs if, unlike most current public safety networks, the new network is deployed leveraging commercial technologies and a cellular architecture. In those rare cases when the public safety network is unavailable or congested, the FCC's recommendations provide for roaming and priority access on commercial broadband networks operating in upwards of 70 MHz of additional spectrum.

Responding to the FCC's recommendations are speakers with a number of competing perspectives.

Featured speakers:

James Barnett, Jr.
Chief, FCC Public Safety & Homeland Security Bureau

Jon Peha
FCC Chief Technologist

Robert LeGrande
Principal, LTSS and former CTO, Washington, D.C.

Steve Sharkey
Senior Director, Regulatory & Spectrum Policy, Motorola

Kathleen Ham-O'Brien
Managing Director, T-Mobile

Ed Thomas
Wiltshire & Grannis LLP
Former Chief, FCC Office of Engineering & Technology

Moderator
Michael Calabrese
Director, Wireless Future Program
New America Foundation

To RSVP for the event:
http://www.newamerica.net/events/2010/wireless_future_of_public_safety

For questions, contact Stephanie Gunter at (202) 596-3367 or gunter@newamerica.net

For media inquiries, contact Kate Brown at (202) 596-3365 or brown@newamerica.net