[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 78 (Tuesday, June 14, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S6486]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. McCAIN (for himself and Mr. LIEBERMAN):
  S. 1237. A bill to expedite the transition to digital television 
while helping consumers to continue to use their analog televisions; to 
the Committee on Finance.
  Mr. McCAIN. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce a bill to 
support the Nation's finest: our police, fire fighters and other 
emergency response personnel. The Spectrum Availability for Emergency-
response and Law-enforcement to Improve Vital Emergency Services Act, 
otherwise known as The SAVE LIVES Act. This bill is drafted in response 
to the 9-11 Commission's final report, which recommended the 
``expedited and increased assignment of radio spectrum for public 
safety purposes.''
  To meet this recommendation, the SAVE LIVES Act would set a date 
certain for the allocation of spectrum to public safety agencies, 
specifically the 24 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band that Congress 
promised public safety agencies in 1997. This is a promise Congress has 
yet to deliver to our Nation's first responders. Now is the time for 
congressional action before another national emergency or crisis takes 
place. Access to this specific spectrum is essential to our Nation's 
safety and welfare as emergency communications sent over these 
frequencies are able to penetrate walls and travel great distances, and 
can assist multiple jurisdictions in deploying interoperable 
communications systems.
  In addition to setting a date certain, this bill would authorize 
funds for public safety agencies to purchase emergency communications 
equipment and ensure that Congress has the ability to consider whether 
additional spectrum should be provided for public safety communications 
prior to the recovered spectrum being auctioned. The bill contains 
significant language concerning consumer education of the digital 
television transition. The bill would mandate that warning labels be 
displayed on analog television sets sold prior to the transition, 
require warning language to be displayed at television retailers, 
command the distribution at retailers of brochures describing the 
television set options available, and call on broadcasters to air 
informational programs to better prepare consumers for the digital 
transition.
  The bill would ensure that no television viewer's set would go 
``dark'' by providing digital-to-analog converter boxes to over-the-air 
viewers that have a household income that does not exceed 200 percent 
of the poverty line and by allowing cable companies to down convert 
digital signal signals if necessary. I continue to believe that 
broadcast television is a powerful communications tool and important 
information source for citizens. I know that on 9/11, I learned about 
the attack on the Twin Towers and the Pentagon like most Americans--by 
watching television. Therefore, this bill seeks to not only protect 
citizens' safety but also the distribution of broadcast television.
  Lastly, the bill would establish a tax credit for the recycling of 
television sets and require the Environmental Protection Agency to 
report to Congress on the need for a national electronic waste 
recycling program.
  The 9-11 Commission's final report contained harrowing tales about 
police officers and fire fighters who were inside the Twin Towers and 
unable to receive evacuation orders over their radios from commanders. 
In fact, the report found that this inability to communicate was not 
only a problem for public safety organizations responding at the World 
Trade Center, but also for those responding at the Pentagon and 
Somerset County, PA, crash sites where multiple organizations and 
multiple jurisdictions responded. Therefore, the Commission recommended 
that Congress accelerate the availability of more spectrum for public 
safety.
  The SAVE LIVES Act would implement the important recommendation and 
ensure that when our Nation experiences another attack, or other 
critical emergencies occur, our police, fire fighters, and other 
emergency response personnel will have the ability to communicate with 
each other and their commanders to prevent another catastrophic loss of 
life. Now is the time for congressional action before another national 
emergency or crisis takes place.
  Several lawmakers attempted to act last year during the debate on the 
intelligence reform bill, but our efforts were thwarted by the powerful 
National Association of Broadcasters. This year, I hope we can all work 
together and to pass a bill that ensures the country is not only better 
prepared in case of another attack but also protects the vital 
communications outlet of broadcast television. I believe the SAVE LIVES 
Act does just that.
  Mr. President, in an effort to expeditiously retrieve the spectrum 
for the Nation's first responders, to preserve over-the-air television 
accessibility to consumers and to ensure the adequate funding of both, 
I urge the enactment of the SAVE LIVES Act.
                                 ______