US Congress House Bill 2976 (Prior Session Legislation)

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Sponsorship: Bipartisan Bill
Status: Introduced on September 20 2011 - 25% progression, died in committee
Action: 2011-09-26 - Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Pending: House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology Committee
Text: Latest bill text (Introduced) [PDF]

Help Emergency Responders Operate Emergency Systems Act of 2011 or the HEROES Act of 2011 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to increase the electromagnetic spectrum allocation for public safety services by 10 megahertz within a specified range and reduce such allocation for commercial use by the same amount. Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to license certain paired bands to the public safety broadband licensee (PSBL). Directs the FCC to establish rules to: (1) permit the PSBL to authorize public safety services providers to construct and operate a wireless public safety broadband network in the PSBL's spectrum, and (2) authorize the shared use of public safety broadband spectrum and network infrastructure by non-public safety services and the use of public safety broadband spectrum by emergency response providers. Requires: (1) the FCC to develop a public safety agency statement of requirements enabling nationwide interoperability and roaming across communications systems, and (2) the Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) to establish standards for meeting such requirements. Directs the Secretary to: (1) establish a grant program (a maximum 80% federal share of the costs for each project) to assist public safety entities in constructing a nationwide interoperable broadband network in the 700 megahertz band; (2) administer a program to reimburse up to 50% of network maintenance, operation, and improvement expenses; and (3) establish a narrowbanding compliance assistance program. Requires: (1) the Assistant Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information to reallocate for commercial use spectrum from a specified range, and (2) the FCC to establish rules for pairing spectrum within specified ranges and to auction licenses for such paired spectrum. Extends to September 30, 2020, the FCC's authority to grant a license or permit under applicable competitive bidding provisions. Prohibits a bidder from being deemed ineligible for or excluded from an auction on account of its size or the amount of its other spectrum holdings.

Help Emergency Responders Operate Emergency Systems Act of 2011

Rep. Steven Rothman [D-NJ]

Rep. Peter King [R-NY]

Date	Chamber	Action
2011-09-26	House	Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
2011-09-20	House	Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.

Type	Source
Summary	https://www.congress.gov/bill/112th-congress/house-bill/2976/all-info
Text	https://www.congress.gov/112/bills/hr2976/BILLS-112hr2976ih.pdf