{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-schumer-and-rep-engel-celebrate-inclusion-of-legislation-to-preserve-first-responders-access-to-emergency-spectrum-in-year-end-spending-bill", "Senators Markey and Schumer, and Rep. Engel Celebrate Inclusion of Legislation to Preserve First Responders Access to Emergency Spectrum in Year-End Spending BillRead More", "2020-12-22", "2020", "2020-12", "Democrat", "House", "MA", "Edward Markey", "M000133", "www.markey.senate.gov", null, null, "legacy", "Washington (December 21, 2020) \r\nToday, Congress released its final end-of-year spending legislation, which\r\nincludes Senator Edward J. Markey's (D-Mass.) bill to preserve first\r\nresponders' access to T-band spectrum (470512 MHz). Congress is now poised to\r\npass theDon't\r\nBreak Up the T-Band Act, legislation that allows firefighters,\r\nemergency medical service providers, police officers and other emergency\r\npersonnel in eleven metropolitan areas across the county to continue to\r\ncommunicate with each other using T-Band spectrum.Thelegislationrepeals a provision of the 2012Middle Class\r\nTax Relief and Job Creation Act, which directed the Federal Communications\r\nCommission (FCC) to auction off this band of spectrum by February 2021. First\r\nresponders in highly-populated metropolitan areas in Massachusetts, New York,\r\nPennsylvania, Washington, D.C., and elsewhere use critical T-Band spectrum for\r\nemergency public safety communication. Agencies across the country have\r\ninvested millions of dollars in the T-Band networks, which offer the reliable\r\ncoverage and regional interoperability that first responders require for\r\nmission critical voice communications. A recent study by the United States Government Accountability Office noted that\r\nhad Congress failed to act, the cost of relocating T-Band users to other bands\r\nof spectrum would cost between $5 and $6 billion, and for many T-Band users,\r\nalternative bands of spectrum are limited or nonexistent.For years, I have been working to ensure that first\r\nresponders in Massachusetts and across the country have the resources they need\r\nto do their jobs, said Senator Markey. Every day, brave women and men\r\non the frontlines of the coronavirus pandemic rely on T-Band spectrum to\r\ncommunicate with each other. By passing this bill into law, Congress will say\r\nloud and clear to our public safety heroes, We have your back.' I thank Leader\r\nSchumer and all of my partners on this legislation for their commitment to\r\npassing this bill into law. This is the type of action the American people\r\ndeserve amidst the ongoing public health crisis we face.  New Yorkers know from 9/11 that first responders need a\r\ncommunication system that works when seconds count, said Leader Schumer. With\r\nan increased reliance on this technology during the pandemic, I have continued\r\nto fight to make sure our firefighters and first responders have reliable\r\ncommunications to be able to talk to each other and better respond to\r\nemergencies. This T-Band spectrum is priceless to Americans all across the\r\ncountry because it helps saves lives, and I am thrilled to keep this critical\r\ncommunication frequency intact.  The inclusion of our T-Band legislation in today's\r\nspending bill marks an important step that we've been working towards for a\r\nlong time, said Representative Engel. Emergency personnel in major metropolitan\r\nareas across the United States use the T-band spectrum for public safety\r\ncommunication. Agencies across the country have invested millions of local,\r\nstate, and federal dollars in the T-Band networks, and relocating T-Band users\r\nto other bands of spectrum would have been difficult and cost prohibitive. Now,\r\nwe won't have to do that. I thank my colleagues in both chambers and on both\r\nsides of the aisle for making the preservation of the T-Band spectrum a\r\npriority for our first-responders. This is an important win for New York.   The IAFC thanks Senator Markey for leading the effort in\r\nthe Senate to pass this critical legislation. Passage of the Don't Break Up the\r\nT-Band Act is a big victory for first responders. By preserving communications\r\nfor first responders across the country, this legislation saves taxpayers\r\nbillions and ensures the well-being of millions of Americans, said Chief\r\nRichard R. Carrizzo, CFO, President and Chairman of the Board of the\r\nInternational Association of Fire Chiefs.   \r\nOther Senators co-sponsoring the Don't Break Up the T-Band Act include\r\nElizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-N.Y.), Bob Casey, Jr.\r\n(D-Penn.), Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.), Maria Cantwell\r\n(D-Wash.), Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), Kamala Harris (D-Calif.), Bob Menendez\r\n(D-N.J), and Corey Booker (D-N.J).   Representatives Eliot Engel (NY-16), Lee Zeldin (NY-01), Al\r\nGreen (TX-09) and Peter King (NY-02) introduced the companion legislation in\r\nthe House of Representatives.", 1, "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z", "2026-03-30T12:14:52Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.markey.senate.gov/news/press-releases/senators-markey-and-schumer-and-rep-engel-celebrate-inclusion-of-legislation-to-preserve-first-responders-access-to-emergency-spectrum-in-year-end-spending-bill"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 1.5250160358846188, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}