WHEREAS, federal, state and local law enforcement and other public safety agencies in the United States are responsible for protecting the lives and property of our citizens; and

WHEREAS, most of these agencies serve as the first responders to a steadily increasing number of calls from the public for emergency help, with countless lives depending on the speed, efficiency and intelligence with which they respond to those calls; and

WHEREAS, there is currently insufficient radio spectrum in many areas of the United States to allow the timely and efficient dispatch of calls for service from the public, as well as to meet this safety needs of officers in the field; and

WHEREAS, the Honorable Harold Rogers, Chairman of the House Appropriations Committee and the members of that committee recognizing the unmet spectrum needs of public safety, facilitated a review of these needs through the year 2010; and

WHEREAS, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), at the direction or its Chairman, the Honorable Reed Hundt, and National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), at the direction of its administrator, the Honorable C. Larry Irving, Assistant Secretary, Department of Commerce, responded immediately to provide the necessary forum to deliberate the public safety spectrum issues; and

WHEREAS, the Public Safety Wireless Advisory Committee (PSWAC) was formed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to advise them on the operational, technical and spectrum requirements of federal, state and local public safety entities through the year 2010; and

WHEREAS, the PSWAC final report concludes that 95 MHz of new mobile spectrum was needed by the year 2010 for voice, data and advanced video services of which 25 MHz would be needed immediately; and

WHEREAS, the PSWAC final report concludes that the present inability of public safety agencies to communicate with each other is one of the most critical deficiencies in today’s public safety communications; and

WHEREAS, the PSWAC final report concludes 2.5 MHz of additional spectrum in the VHF and UHF bands between 138 MHz and 512 MHz was needed to support nationwide interoperability among federal, state and local public safety agencies; and

WHEREAS, the PSWAC final report concludes that a minimum baseline standard is required for unit-to-unit public safety radio equipment operating in the same band. These standards and connections should be developed by a fair and open process that encourages industry to cooperate in order to provide the tools and technology needed by the public safety community. The PSWAC decided to keep its findings technology neutral and the failure to recommend any specific technology or standard should not be construed as either lack of support for, or rejection of, any of the available technologies or standards; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, that the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), duly assembled at its 103rd annual conference in Phoenix, Arizona, calls on all federal, state and local public safety agencies to support the recommendations of the PSWAC final report; and be it

FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be sent to the following: The Honorable Harold Rogers U.S. House of Representatives Washington, D.C. 20515 FCC Commissioners at their offices at 1919 M Street, NW, Washington, DC 20554 Chairman Reed Hundt Commissioner James Quello Commissioner Rachelle Chong Commissioner Susan Ness The Honorable C. Larry Irving, Jr., Assistant Secretary U.S. Department of Commerce National Telecommunications and Information Administration 15th and Pennsylvania Ave., NW Washington, D.C. 20230