1
REMARKS OF FCC CHAIRMAN KEVIN J. MARTIN
AT
APCO INTERNATIONAL ANNUAL CONFERENCE
TUESDAY, AUGUST 7, 2007
Thank you, Wanda for that kind introduction. And thank you to the entire Board of 
Officers.
I am very pleased to be here with you today. I would first like to start today by thanking 
you for everything you do.
Ensuring the safety of its citizens is the most fundamental function of government. At the 
Commission, we have no greater responsibility than meeting the needs of public safety.
Emergency communications are critical to enabling you to come to the aid of those in 
need. They allow you to warn people of an approaching threat, rescue those in danger or 
injured, and coordinate the rebuilding and repair efforts. 
During my time at the Commission, I have made and will continue to make public safety 
a priority. And I have worked closely with APCO on every aspect: from 911 to 800 MHz 
rebanding to interoperability. This morning, I would like spend some time updating you 
on all three issues.
Last week, the Commission took a historic step creating a nationwide, interoperable 
public safety broadband network. We all remember too well the problems created by lack 
of an interoperable communications system on 9/11 and during Hurricane Katrina.
Emergencies – natural or man-made – do not make distinctions among emergency 
responders. We need a system that allows all of you to communicate during an 
emergency regardless of the uniform you wear or the towns in which you live. 
Like you, my first choice would have been to dedicate a network exclusively for the use 
of public safety. However, the reality is that there currently is not enough funding. The 
use of a public safety-private partnership, however, creates an opportunity to provide 
state-of-the-art technologies to you in a timely and affordable manner. 
The adoption of a National Public Safety Broadband Licensee to be a part of this 
partnership is also the best way to establish a truly national interoperable network. It will 
facilitate a unified approach to the use of this spectrum, enabling all public safety users
across the country to talk to each other during a crisis. 
And I greatly appreciated APCO’s support and that of other public safety agencies for 
this approach. But your continued backing will also be critical to our efforts. We need to 
work together to make sure the auction and this joint venture is a success.
The rules adopted by the Commission ensure the shared network will meet public 
safety’s needs. They require hardened network facilities; choice of handset equipment; a 
2
specific time line for construction of the network; and clear rules governing public safety 
access to commercial spectrum during emergencies. I believe this public safety- private 
partnership is our best chance to make the goal of a national interoperable broadband 
network a reality and to give first responders the communications capabilities they need.
Similarly, the Commission remains committed to ensuring that 800 MHz rebanding is 
completed as quickly as possible.  The Commission recently reaffirmed this commitment, 
clarifying the standard for determining what licensee rebanding costs must be paid by 
Sprint. This standard takes into account not just lowest cost, but all of the objectives of 
the proceeding. These include timely and efficient completion of the rebanding process, 
minimizing the burden rebanding imposes on public safety, and preserving public 
safety’s ability to operate during the transition. 
Finally, one of my first actions when I became Chairman was to ensure that all 
Americans could pick up the phone and dial 911 and connect to emergency services
whether they were using a wireline, wireless or VoIP phone. However, as APCO’s 
Project Locate clearly demonstrated, we must also ensure that when people call for help, 
first responders can easily and reliably find them.
To achieve that goal, we need to ensure that our enhanced 911 rules provide meaningful 
automatic location information.   In our recent Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, the 
Commission tentatively concluded that our E911 rules should be clarified to require 
carriers to meet our location accuracy requirements at the PSAP service area level.  
State-wide averaging can mask the reliability of 911 outside of large urban areas.  
Meeting location accuracy standards on average in the entire state of New York by 
providing enhanced 911 capability in Manhattan does not help first responders in 
Buffalo.
We have long known that the two location technologies used by carriers — handset-
based GPS and network-based triangulation — each have limitations.  Network-based 
technologies are not as effective in rural areas often due to lack of sufficient towers.  
Handset-based technologies are not as effective in urban areas, as signals often have 
difficulty penetrating buildings.  As technology has developed, however, so must our 
standards and expectations.  We recognize that our decision on this issue must be prompt.  
We are working to address these issues as quickly as possible. 
I look forward to continuing to work together to ensure that public safety has the tools it 
needs to provide for the safety of our nation and its citizens. Thank you for your 
invitation to be here today. And thank you for your service.
-FCC-