Zeldin, Engel, King Introduce "Don't Break Up the T-Band Act" to Protect T-Band Spectrum Use by First Responders

Press Release

Representatives Lee Zeldin (R, NY-1), Eliot Engel (D, NY-16), and Peter King (R, NY-2) yesterday introduced the "Don't Break up the T-Band Act," legislation that would repeal a provision of a 2012 law to allow law-enforcement, fire officials, and EMS to continue using the T-Band spectrum to operate their radios for day-to-day life saving operations.

Currently, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is required to reallocate and auction the T-Band spectrum by 2021, which would endanger public safety communications in major metropolitan areas across the United States. The T-Band is a portion of spectrum used in 11 heavily populated metropolitan areas, covering over 90 million Americans, to support critical public safety communications (i.e. police and fire radios) and provide regional interoperability among first responders. Public safety agencies have spent numerous years and hundreds of millions of dollars of federal, state and local funds to plan and build out these T-Band networks. The result is battle-tested public safety networks that provide resilient coverage, reliability and regional interoperability. This spectrum is essential to public safety and for many public safety entities there is nowhere else to move, so Reps. Zeldin, Engel, and King have introduced the "Don't Break Up the T-Band Act" to preserve the T-Band spectrum before it is reallocated for good.

Congressman Zeldin (R, NY-1) said, "Our first responders bravely and selflessly put their lives on the line each and every day to protect our communities, and our first priority must be ensuring they have the resources they need to safely and effectively do their jobs. From hurricanes to fires, in the most dire situations, the T-band spectrum provides critical communication between first responders. Even when cell phones, internet, and electricity cease to function, T-band is the last line of defense, and selling off this spectrum would be a disservice to our nation's first responders and the millions of Americans they serve."

Congressman Eliot Engel (D, NY-16) said, "When it comes to the T-Band spectrum, it's a classic case of "if it isn't broke, don't fix it.' First Responders charged with the protection of life and property -- such as police, firefighters and Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers -- rely on T-Band as a vital component of their communications systems. It is a reliable and resilient network that functions in subway tunnels, underground concrete parking lots, and even deep inside large buildings where other systems routinely fail. Our bill is designed to allow first responders to continue using the T-Band spectrum to communicate effectively when saving lives and keeping us safe."

Congressman Peter King (R, NY-2) said,"This legislation allows our first responders to take advantage of emerging telecommunication technologies while still retaining their radio communications. In addition, it will remove the requirement to re-work emergency communications infrastructure which would be an overwhelming financial burden to our local governments."

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