1-1                          SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 602

        1-2           WHEREAS, The Senate of the State of Texas recognizes that

        1-3     public safety continues to be a major concern to the American

        1-4     public and to local governments and that broadcast spectrum is

        1-5     critical to counties and cities to ensure and protect public

        1-6     safety communications; and

        1-7           WHEREAS, Broadcast spectrum is a finite resource that is

        1-8     vital to the communication abilities of police, fire, emergency

        1-9     rescue, and disaster agencies in the event of a natural disaster,

       1-10     a crime, a fire or bombing, or any other serious incident that

       1-11     jeopardizes the property and lives of our citizens; and

       1-12           WHEREAS, The allocation of broadcast spectrum is fundamental

       1-13     to the timely communication of emergency response agencies when

       1-14     lives are at stake, and changes in allocations could force

       1-15     counties and cities to spend millions of dollars for the purchase

       1-16     of equipment compatible with different bands of the spectrum; and

       1-17           WHEREAS, The Public Safety Wireless Advisory Commission was

       1-18     established by Congress in 1993 to design a plan for public safety

       1-19     telecommunication needs through the year 2010; the commission has

       1-20     discovered that states and local governments have less than 50

       1-21     percent of the spectrum currently necessary to effectively protect

       1-22     lives and property and far less than will be required to handle

       1-23     public safety needs between now and the year 2010; and

        2-1           WHEREAS, The President and Congress are proposing to auction

        2-2     broadcast spectrum to fund numerous programs, in spite of the

        2-3     current broadcast spectrum needs of cities and counties and the

        2-4     fact that those needs will only increase; now, therefore, be it

        2-5           RESOLVED, That the Senate of the State of Texas,

        2-6     75th Legislature, hereby urge the President, Congress, and the

        2-7     Federal Communications Commission to immediately reserve 25

        2-8     megahertz of broadcast channels 60 to 69 for exclusive use of

        2-9     state and local government public safety agencies and encourage

       2-10     the Federal Communications Commission to implement recommendations

       2-11     from the Public Safety Wireless Advisory Commission and create a

       2-12     long-term plan to meet public safety needs affecting cities between

       2-13     now and the year 2010.

       2-14                                                                  Nelson

       2-15                                  ______________________________________

       2-16                                          President of the Senate

       2-17                                       I hereby certify that the above

       2-18                                  Resolution was adopted by the Senate

       2-19                                  on April 29, 1997.

       2-20                                  ______________________________________

       2-21                                          Secretary of the Senate

       2-22                                  ______________________________________

       2-23                                           Member, Texas Senate