HR 607 · 112th Congress 2011โ€“2013, ended

Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011

Latest action · Feb 28, 2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.

Progress

Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.

  1. IntroducedFeb 10, 2011
  2. Passed HouseNot reached
  3. Passed SenateNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to increase the electromagnetic spectrum allocation for public safety services by 10 megahertz and reduce such allocation for commercial use by the same amount.

Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) allocate the paired electromagnetic spectrum bands of 758-763 megahertz and 788-793 megahertz (referred to as D Block) for public safety broadband communications and license such paired bands to public safety; (2) establish rules to permit a public safety broadband licensee to authorize public safety service providers to construct and operate a wireless public safety broadband network in the licensee's spectrum if such authorization would expedite public safety broadband communications; (3) require that any wireless public safety broadband network be fully interoperable, provide for user roaming, be disaster survivable, have the appropriate level of cyber security, and be consistent with the Statewide Interoperable Communications Plans and the National Emergency Communications Plan; (4) establish regulations to authorize the shared use of the public safety broadband spectrum and network infrastructure by entities that are not defined as public safety services; (5) establish regulations to allow use of the public safety broadband spectrum by emergency response providers; and (6) develop a public safety agency statement of requirements that enables nationwide interoperability and roaming across any communications system using public safety broadband spectrum.

Specifies organizations that shall be included in the Board of Directors of the Public Safety Broadband Licensee.

Establishes in the Treasury: (1) the Public Safety Interoperable Broadband Network Construction Fund, and (2) the Public Safety Interoperable Broadband Network Maintenance and Operation Fund.

Directs the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) establish a grant program to assist public safety entities to establish a nationwide public safety interoperable broadband network in the 700 megahertz band, and (2) administer a program through which not more than 50% of maintenance and operational expenses associated with the public safety interoperable broadband network may be reimbursed from the Maintenance and Operation Fund.

Directs: (1) the Assistant Secretary of Commerce to reallocate for commercial use electromagnetic spectrum at 1755-1780 megahertz, and (2) the FCC, within 18 months after enactment of this Act, to establish rules for pairing electromagnetic spectrum bands at 1755-1780 megahertz and 2155-2180 megahertz, inclusive, and auction the licenses for such paired spectrum.

Requires each public safety entity, within 8 years, to migrate from a specified range of radio spectrum to an alternative radio spectrum that is licensed to public safety services in the 700 and 800 megahertz bands. Directs each federal law enforcement agency, within 10 years, to move all noncommercial network communications to spectrum in such bands.

Directs the FCC to auction, through an appropriate competitive bidding system, certain paired electromagnetic spectrum bands recovered from public safety entities under a specified FCC migration plan.

Extends the FCC's authority to grant a license or permit under applicable competitive bidding provisions to September 30, 2020.

Cosponsors 53

Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 10, 2011 to Mar 20, 2012; 6 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-MSBennie G. ThompsonOriginalFeb 10, 2011
R-MOBilly LongOriginalFeb 10, 2011
R-MICandice S. MillerOriginalFeb 10, 2011
R-NYMichael G. GrimmOriginalFeb 10, 2011
R-ALMike RogersOriginalFeb 10, 2011
D-NYYvette D. ClarkeOriginalFeb 10, 2011
D-CALaura RichardsonFeb 14, 2011
D-NVShelley BerkleyFeb 14, 2011
D-RIJames R. LangevinFeb 17, 2011
D-MNKeith EllisonFeb 17, 2011
D-IALeonard L. BoswellMar 3, 2011
D-MEMichael H. MichaudMar 29, 2011
R-IATom LathamMar 29, 2011
D-NYCarolyn McCarthyMar 30, 2011
D-TXEddie Bernice JohnsonMar 30, 2011
D-TXSheila Jackson LeeMar 30, 2011
R-MNChip CravaackApr 6, 2011
D-NCHeath ShulerApr 6, 2011
R-AKDon YoungApr 12, 2011
R-PAJim GerlachApr 12, 2011
D-NYNita M. LoweyApr 12, 2011
D-IADavid LoebsackApr 14, 2011
D-GAJohn BarrowApr 14, 2011
R-WADavid G. ReichertMay 10, 2011
R-FLJohn L. MicaMay 10, 2011
R-VARobert J. WittmanMay 10, 2011
R-FLVern BuchananMay 10, 2011
R-MNErik PaulsenMay 13, 2011
D-NYEdolphus TownsMay 23, 2011
D-ILJesse L. Jackson, Jr.May 23, 2011
D-TXLloyd DoggettMay 25, 2011
R-VAJ. Randy ForbesMay 26, 2011
D-CALoretta SanchezMay 31, 2011
D-NJSteven R. RothmanMay 31, 2011
D-NYGregory W. MeeksJun 13, 2011
D-HIMazie K. HironoJun 13, 2011
D-OHDennis J. KucinichJun 14, 2011
R-FLJeff MillerJun 16, 2011
D-NJBill Pascrell, Jr.Jun 21, 2011
D-NYLouise McIntosh SlaughterJun 23, 2011
D-NYPaul TonkoJul 6, 2011
D-CAJohn GaramendiJul 11, 2011
R-PALou BarlettaJul 11, 2011
D-IABruce L. BraleyJul 13, 2011
D-NYCarolyn B. MaloneyJul 15, 2011
D-MAWilliam R. KeatingSep 9, 2011
D-DCEleanor Holmes NortonOct 6, 2011
R-VAFrank R. WolfOct 12, 2011
D-CAJanice HahnOct 12, 2011
D-NYJerrold NadlerNov 15, 2011
D-VIDonna M. ChristensenJan 18, 2012
D-PAMark S. CritzJan 18, 2012
R-NJJon RunyanMar 20, 2012

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
HouseEnergy and Commerce Committee
Referred Feb 10, 2011
Communications and Technology Subcommittee
Referred Feb 28, 2011

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Feb 28, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
  2. Feb 10, 2011Introduced in House
  3. Feb 10, 2011Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Research

What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.

Constitutional authority

Congress has the power to enact this legislation pursuant to the following: Article I, Section 8, Clause 1: The Congress shall have Power to lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States. Article I, Section 8, Clause 18: The Congress shall have Power to make all Laws which shall be necessary and proper for carrying into Execution the forgoing Powers, and all other Powers vested by this Constitution in the Government of the United States or in any Department or Officer thereof.

The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H681.

Printed hearings 7

Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.

NumberHearingCommitteeHeld
Serial No. 112-76LEGISLATIVE HEARING TO ADDRESS SPECTRUM AND PUBLIC SAFETY ISSUES287 pagesEnergy and Commerce CommitteeJul 15, 2011
Serial No. 112-33EXAMINING THE HOMELAND SECURITY IMPACT OF THE OBAMA ADMINISTRATION'S CYBERSECURITY PROPOSAL73 pagesHomeland Security CommitteeJun 24, 2011
Serial No. 112-51CREATING AN INTEROPERABLE PUBLIC SAFETY NETWORK214 pagesEnergy and Commerce CommitteeMay 25, 2011
Serial No. 112-36USING SPECTRUM TO ADVANCE PUBLIC SAFETY, PROMOTE BROADBAND, CREATE JOBS, AND REDUCE THE DEFICIT376 pagesEnergy and Commerce CommitteeApr 12, 2011
Serial No. 112-13PUBLIC SAFETY COMMUNICATIONS: ARE THE NEEDS OF OUR FIRST RESPONDERS BEING MET?53 pagesHomeland Security CommitteeMar 30, 2011

Related bills 3

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 28Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation ActRelated billJan 25, 2011
S 1040Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011Related billMay 19, 2011
HR 2482Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation ActRelated billAug 15, 2011

Titles 2

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
To enhance public safety by making more spectrum available to public safety agencies, to facilitate the development of a wireless public safety broadband network, to provide standards for the spectrum needs of public safety agencies, and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced
Broadband for First Responders Act of 2011

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Feb 10, 2011Introduced in House

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Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.