The FCC voted 5-0 last week to begin accepting public comments for the re-auctioning of the D-block wireless spectrum for emergency responders. Bidding on the spectrum failed to meet a minimum at the auction earlier this year.
The commissioners are creating a series of questions it will ask in determining how to proceed with a new auction. A hearing will be held on the re-auction of the spectrum later this summer.
“Today all five of us are admitting we tried something and failed on it,” Republican commissioner Robert McDowell said at the meeting.
In the meantime, Rep. Jane Harman, D-CA, introduced legislation that would fund the administrative costs of a national interoperable public safety network for first responders. The bill would authorize $4 million to cover expenses.
