DHS Will Lobby Congress to Reallocate 700 MHz D-block
The Department of Homeland Security is fully committed to allocating the 700 MHz D-block to public safety and will work with Congress to make that happen, DHS Secretary Janet Napolitano told the House Homeland Security Committee Thursday. Napolitano also reiterated DHS’s commitment on cybersecurity.
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
If your job depends on informed compliance, you need International Trade Today. Delivered every business day and available any time online, only International Trade Today helps you stay current on the increasingly complex international trade regulatory environment.
"DHS and the Department of Justice were heavily involved in the decision to stop the auction of the D-block and to reserve it for public safety and we anticipate being involved on an ongoing basis,” Napolitano said in response to a question from Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y.
King, an advocate of reallocating the spectrum, responded that momentum is growing on Capitol Hill against a proposed D-block auction. “Right now I think we are closer to getting the votes we might need,” King said. “Any assistance you can give us, I look forward to working with you.” King said he’s working with Sens. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., John McCain, R-Ariz., and others to move a reallocation bill through Congress.
Napolitano testified before the committee to defend the department’s proposed budget, which includes cuts to numerous programs of interest to members of the committee. “The demands on the department have never been greater,” she said. Many questions focused on border security. But cybersecurity was also the subject of concerns by several lawmakers.
Napolitano reassured Rep. Dan Lungren, R-Calif., that cybersecurity is a DHS priority. “We have identified that as one of the five key mission areas of the department,” she said. “Between DHS and [the Department of Defense] we possess probably 95 percent of the cyber responsibilities in the United States government. We need to protect the civilian side of the federal networks from attack. We need to accelerate the deployment of Einstein 3, which is the program we are using to do that.” DHS is looking to hire additional staff with expertise in cybersecurity and has received “direct hire authority” to do so, she said.
Napolitano emphasized DHS’s commitment on cybersecurity in her written testimony to the committee. The budget includes $233.6 million for federal network protection, including Einstein 3, she said. The budget also calls for $40.9 million to conduct an estimated 66 network assessments for various federal agencies, $24.5 million for virtual cybersecurity education and training for federal employees and $18 million for cybersecurity research.