FCC Public En Banc Hearing in Brooklyn, NY on 
Public Safety Interoperable Communications and the 700 MHz D Block Proceeding
July 30, 2008
STATEMENT OF COMMISSIONER ROBERT M. McDOWELL
Thank you all for having us here in Brooklyn, New York.  Thank you not only for 
your presence here today but for your leadership on these issues, which are so important 
to our nation’s security.  I also want to extend my heartfelt thanks to all of you for your 
dedicated service to our country.  I hope you will continue to let me know what I can do 
to help you as we move forward together to keep our country secure.  
As we know, the FCC’s Auction 73 raised a record amount of revenue, over $19 
billion.  The auction also succeeded in reallocating this valuable slice of the airwaves to 
licensees who will use it to roll out new and exciting wireless broadband services, 
enriching the lives of all Americans.  Nonetheless, we are here today because the FCC 
failed to entice a winning bidder to build a state-of-the-art, nationwide, interoperable 
network for America’s public safety users.  Today gives us an opportunity to move 
beyond rhetoric, analyze the lessons learned and move forward - together - in a 
constructive and positive manner.
Last summer’s 700 MHz Order included a plan to spark a public/private 
partnership by allocating 10 megahertz of spectrum for public safety use, known as the 
“D Block.”  This spectrum block was added on top of the 24 megahertz Congress 
allocated to public safety in 1997.  The Commission created this framework after 
working closely with the public safety community, and I supported it.  Hopes were high 
that this additional spectrum would provide an incentive for a private entity to construct a 
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nationwide, interoperable, broadband network all of us have been discussing since the 
attacks of September 11, 2001.  
Even though public safety already had at its disposal 97 megahertz of spectrum in 
total to serve America’s approximately two million public safety users – including 24 
megahertz in the 700 MHz Band, and 50 megahertz in the 4.9 GHz Band – the 
Commission went out of its way to allocate an additional 10 megahertz above and 
beyond what Congress gave.  We did this to try to create an incentive for the private side 
of the public/private partnership to invest risk capital to build a nationwide public safety 
network suitable for 21st century challenges.  In the absence of congressionally-
appropriated funding for this network, the Commission concluded that this type of 
public/private partnership was the best way to jump-start funding and construction.  I 
thank the Chairman for his leadership.
I have met with a number of parties this spring and summer.  Early critiques of 
the Commission’s efforts reveal that potential bidders were deterred by onerous build-out 
and service requirements that required the eventual licensee to incur massive costs in an 
atmosphere of extreme uncertainty regarding how many, if any, public safety entities 
might actually sign up as paying customers.  On the other hand, I am greatly encouraged
by the creative proposals put forward more recently, in response to our post-auction 
request for comment.  
Ours is an important goal:  To equip our first responders with the communications 
capabilities necessary to best serve the American public in emergency situations.  I look 
forward to gathering additional insights from our distinguished panelists.  By 
coordinating closely, we can and will succeed.