Walden rejects ‘arbitrary deadlines’ for spectrum bill

{mosads} “For five months, we have been negotiating in earnest to find common ground on spectrum reform. I appreciate the progress we are making, and we will continue working in good faith to develop legislation that creates jobs, establishes a public safety network, and reduces the deficit,” Walden said in a statement.

The lead Democrats negotiating with Walden on the bill are Reps. Anna Eshoo (Calif.) and Henry Waxman (Calif). 

Demand for spectrum, the public airwaves that devices use to transmit signals, has increased dramatically in recent years as smartphones and tablet computers have become more popular.  

The legislation is expected to address the spectrum shortage, likely by incentivizing television broadcasters to put their spectrum up for auction.

A key priority of public safety agencies is using the D Block of spectrum to build an interoperable broadband network for first responders. 

The 9/11 Commission Report identified communication breakdowns as a critical problem that hampered first responders during the terrorist attacks of 2001.  

Although Walden mentioned that a priority of the legislation is establishing a “public safety network,” he did not specifically say he would support allocating the D Block. Whether or not to use the D Block for the network is one of the main sticking points for the legislation.