Adopted at the 120th Annual Conference

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

October 23, 2013

Support to Maintain the Public Safety T-Band Spectrum

Submitted by: Communications and Technology Committee

CTC.012.t13

WHEREAS, spectrum in the T-Band (470-512 MHz) is used by law enforcement and other public safety entities in and around eleven metropolitan areas of the United States to support critical public safety communications and provide regional interoperability among first responders; and

WHEREAS, these areas are Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, San Francisco, and Washington, D.C.; and

WHEREAS, Section 6103 of Public Law 112-96 (The Spectrum Act of 2012) enacted February 22, 2012, directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to begin auctioning the public safety T-Band spectrum for commercial use within 9 years of enactment, i.e., by February 22, 2021 and clear all public safety operations from the band within 2 years of auction close (i.e., by early 2023); and

WHEREAS, that same legislation allows auction revenue to be used for the relocation but does not specify any replacement spectrum or ensure revenues will be sufficient to fund the relocation; and

WHEREAS, after extensive study of the issue in which IACP participated, the National Public Safety Telecommunications Council (NPSTC) issued a report on March 15, 2013, and

WHEREAS, that report concluded " Given the lack of alternative spectrum, cost of relocation, major disruption to vital public safety services, and likelihood that the spectrum auction would not even cover relocation costs, NPSTC believes implementing the T-Band legislation is not feasible, provides no public interest benefit, and the matter should be re-visited by Congress." ; and

WHEREAS, the NPSTC found that loss of the T-Band spectrum resource would be particularly problematic for public safety in the Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, New York and Philadelphia metropolitan areas; and that relocation of public safety communications systems in all eleven metropolitan areas to alternative spectrum if available would cost an estimated $5.9 billion, now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association Chiefs of Police supports the NPSTC T-Band Report issued March 15, 2013, and, be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that the International Association Chiefs of Police assembled at its 120th Annual Conference in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, strongly supports actions that seek to resolve the T-Band issue favorably for public safety by maintaining the T-Band spectrum for immediate, continued and full use by law enforcement and other public safety entities.