WHEREAS, law enforcement and public safety personnel require access to the most advanced communications services that are available, and increased public safety and emergency response needs require access by public safety to the latest broadband technologies and services being developed for commercial network customers; and

WHEREAS, while the broadband communications needs of public safety have become more clear and compelling in recent years, the existing spectrum allocations to public safety have been recognized as inadequate for those purposes, and it is in the public interest to provide public safety access to sufficient suitable spectrum to encourage the development of a next generation broadband nationwide public safety network; and

WHEREAS, the scheduled availability of recovered analog spectrum in the upper 700 MHz band affords the nation a unique opportunity to secure sufficient contiguous spectrum to support a new, truly national broadband network that would be built, maintained, and operated for the primary benefit of public safety and the citizens whose lives and property they are tasked to protect; and

WHEREAS, a proposal has been filed with the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that would provide for a Public Safety Broadband Trust of radio spectrum for a nationwide, seamless, next generation broadband network capable of integrating broadband data services such as text messaging, photos, diagrams, and video not currently available in existing public safety land mobile systems, using 30 MHz of spectrum at present scheduled to be auctioned by the FCC; and

WHEREAS, our nation has a one-time opportunity to take advantage of the clearance of a nationwide block of 30 MHz of contiguous frequencies in the 700 MHz spectrum band that is adjacent to spectrum currently occupied by public safety and is spectrum perfectly matched for the establishment of a next-generation broadband nationwide network because of its unique physical properties; and

WHEREAS, our nation will lose a tremendous opportunity to improve public safety communications through enhanced interoperability and perhaps its last meaningful chance of creating a fully interoperable, advanced nationwide public safety communications system, capable of linking each and every local, tribal, state, and federal emergency responder, and necessary to securing and defending the homeland, if a debate is not initiated to license this spectrum to public safety for a nationwide broadband network before the spectrum is auctioned off and lost forever; now, therefore be it

RESOLVED that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP) supports the allocation of 30 MHz of spectrum in the upper 700 MHz band to be held in trust for public safety to create a nationwide public safety broadband network; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED that the IACP membership actively engage their respective governmental executive and legislative components and coordinate their efforts to achieve the goal of developing a nationwide broadband public safety communications network for all of the law enforcement and public safety community.