Rep. Henry Waxman, D-Calif., floated what he considers a nifty idea to finance a nationwide public safety broadband network at a hearing on Thursday of the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet: auction off a mess of spectrum to raise the billions of dollars need to finance the building and operating of the broadband network.
But part of the spectrum Waxman wants to sell -- the 1675-1710 Megahertz band -- supports operation of systems equal in importance to cop and fire comms, the Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellites operated by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration to help forecast the weather and track oil slicks in the Gulf of Mexico.
Last time I checked it was real hard to retune the frequency of a satellite 22,000 miles in space.
Bob Brewin
Bob Brewin joined Government Executive in April 2007, bringing with him more than 20 years of experience as a journalist focusing on defense issues and technology. Bob covers the world of defense and information technology for Nextgov, and is the author of the “What’s Brewin” blog.
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