It appears the FCC and others are making a move after the FCC Independent Panel Reviewing ihe Impact of Hurricane Katrina on Communications Networks in Jackson, MS on March 6 and 7, 2006. Several vendors testified and it appeared they wanted to go to 700 MHz. 
 
After being a Civil Service employee for many years, that appears to be soon for the U.S. Government.  I will say the agencies dealing with emergencies did move fast, fast.  I am referring to some quick moves the FAA would make in emergencies.   
 
As Greg Sarratt, W4OZK testified about amateur and ARRL indicating how we operate on the same frequencies and update our old equipment and interface it with the new.
 
Good to know information!
 
Henry R. Leggette, WD4Q
----- Original Message -----
From: w3kd@aol.com
To: arrl-odv
Cc: n1rl@arrl.org
Sent: Friday, March 17, 2006 11:03 AM
Subject: [arrl-odv:13907] Wireless Bureau Restructuring and Creation of Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau at FCC

In an effort to appear responsive to Congress' perception of the failures of communications during the aftermath of 9/11 and the last Hurricane season, the FCC has created, as it long ago told Congress it would, a "Public Safety and Homeland Security Bureau". The Executive Committee discussed this at length at its meeting last weekend. We were not sure where Amateur Radio would land in the process.
 
There was some sentiment that, if the entire Critical Infrastructure Division of the Wireless Bureau went to this new PS/HS Bureau, we might be better off. I firmly believed that.
 
This morning, the FCC at its open meeting, adopted the order to create the new Bureau. It was not clear from the Office of Managing Director at the open meeting what was going to be taken from the WTB and moved over to PS/HS.
 
However, the very last question that was asked at the press briefing of Acting Managing Director Anthony Dale after the meeting was about that subject. According to Dale, the Amateur Service will stay with the Wireless Bureau. He was asked what would happen to the Critical Infrastructure and Private Wireless part of the "Public Safety and Critical Infrastructure Division" which is Mike Wilhelm's Division. It is apparently being broken up, and the private wireless part (i.e. power companies, taxicabs, personal radio, aviation and marine, and Amateur Radio) is staying in WTB and the Public Safety part is moving to the new PS/HS bureau. There was discussion about 800 MHz, for example, being moved over to PS/HS because most of 800 MHz is now Public Safety.
 
So, this is a bit of a mishmash, and the spectrum protection benefits of being in a "Homeland Security" Bureau appears, for us, to be an opportunity lost, at least for now. More when we know it.
 
73, Chris W3KD