Louisiana Delegation Turns Up Heat on FCC for Decision on 700 MHz Waiver
Members of Congress from Louisiana, a state still recovering from Hurricane Katrina in 2005, pressed the FCC to act on a waiver request allowing early construction of a public safety network in the 700 MHz band. The letter was signed by both senators and all seven representatives from the state. Baton Rouge filed the initial petition from the state asking for “expedited” action on a waiver in July 2010.
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"As Representatives of one of the states most vulnerable to large disasters, both natural (Hurricanes Katrina and Gustav) and manmade (the Deepwater Horizon oil spill), we are acutely aware that our constituents need a robust, interoperable wireless broadband network to ensure that first responders can communicate during critical emergencies,” said the letter from the delegation (http://xrl.us/bmz7ka). “Louisiana’s unique waterways also make it home to the largest port infrastructure in the (western hemisphere), dozens of offshore oil rigs, refineries, and petrochemical plants, thereby making it a hub of critical infrastructure and national commerce.”
Baton Rouge, the New Orleans Urban Area Security Initiative Region and the Governor’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness each filed waiver petitions. They recently asked that the petitions be consolidated by the FCC (http://xrl.us/bmz7ra) after signing a memorandum of understanding in January.
The FCC has faced similar political pressure from Oklahoma, with Gov. Mary Fallin and other state officials pressing for action on the state’s waiver request (CD Feb 2 p3). But whether the political pressure will have much effect remains to be seen. In February, House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., raised the issue directly with Chairman Julius Genachowski during a hearing (CD Feb 17 p3).
Asked last week about the various long-standing waiver applications before the commission, Public Safety Bureau Chief Jamie Barnett didn’t offer a timetable, saying only that they are under review against the backdrop of the deployment of a national network in the band (CD March 29 p1).