The following is from Politico:

The clock is ticking away — rapidly — on Congress’s goal to deliver a nationwide, wireless communication network for police officers and firefighters by the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.

Tough, long-standing political and policy fights may ultimately cause lawmakers to push back their time frame by months, even as congressional efforts to fund and authorize a communications system pick up pace.

For now, disagreements are simmering between the House and the Senate over how to construct the network, and the issue may boil down to its price tag. And a string of upcoming congressional recesses and holidays could make it even less likely that legislation will move this year.

It’s a political reality that’s likely to frustrate supporters, who hope Congress can quickly authorize the build-out of a network that would allow first responders to wirelessly share building schematics and other data even in the hardest-to-reach rural areas.

First responders will mobilize en masse in Washington on Tuesday to celebrate National Police Week. Many first responders from major metropolitan areas plan to canvass the White House and leading lawmakers in both chambers in support of building out a public-safety network — and they’re not giving up hope that Congress can deliver by Sept. 11, 2011.

“Is it possible, is it doable, and are we committed to doing everything we can [to meet] that timeline? Yes,” said Sean Kirkendall, spokesman for the Association for Public Safety Communications Officials.

The struggle over the public-safety network rests on a chunk of wireless airwaves called the D-Block — a valuable portion of broadband spectrum that permits the speedy 4G connections that allow smartphones to access and transmit data.

Lawmakers and public-safety agencies agree those airwaves — which can easily penetrate building walls — are perfect for first responders, who need the ability to communicate in times of crisis regardless of location.

Yet serious rifts exist over how the network should be constructed and funded.

The approach supported by the White House would turn over those frequencies directly to public safety. Lawmakers long ago slated the valuable D-Block to be auctioned off to wireless carriers, such as Sprint or T-Mobile, and reversing it would require an act of Congress.

Reallocating airwaves to public safety agencies, though, has long had support in the Senate, where the leaders of the Commerce Committee began circulating on Friday a revised bipartisan draft bill that would grant public-safety agencies the D-Block.

The proposal’s lead author, Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.), plans to outline his case for prompt action Tuesday at a press briefing with other Senate Democrats. Rockefeller is expected to stress that the bill not only satisfies the needs of first responders but could deliver billions in new revenue through a program designed to auction unused broadcast spectrum to wireless companies.

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