By Joe Barton
USA TODAY
NEW YORK — Five years to the day before 9/11, first responders told us they needed vastly more communications capacity in order to cope with a large emergency. Instead, we gave them silence, and the absence of reliable communications was held responsible for many deaths inside the World Trade Center. More years have passed since 9/11, and they’re still waiting for our help.
The scheduled Feb. 17 switch from analog to digital television (DTV) broadcasting will give first responders the functioning equipment and broadcast frequencies they need. In fact, help was on the way for three years before the Obama transition team panicked and told Congress to delay. Last week, Congress tried to accommodate the White House, but the Senate’s DTV-delay bill failed to gain sufficient support to skirt normal rules in the House.
Now, all of us have work to do. Contrary to what you have heard, the digital television transition program is neither stuck nor broke, and there’s no need for further delay. The waiting list for the $40 converter-box coupons can be cleared out with just a dollop of bipartisanship.
The recommended solution of the Commerce Department under President Bush still exists in the form of pending legislation to authorize $250 million for more converter-box coupons. This simple action would empty the waiting list, and we even anticipate getting most of the money back because we know from experience that many of the coupons will go unused.
Rep. Cliff Stearns, R-Fla., and 11 of our colleagues are sponsoring the bill, and all of us are Republicans. But we’ve told House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., that it hardly matters whose political brand is on the solution. Last week, we asked her to bring her leadership qualities to bear.
Republicans were working with Democrats on this back in early January. Had that work not been interrupted by the Obama transition team’s surprise intervention, it seems likely that the job would be finished already.
Meanwhile, the Fraternal Order of Police just asked us not to delay again because, they note, “communications are our lifeline.” I know we can keep faith with them and everyone else, if Democrats will find a way to work with Republicans again.
Rep. Joe Barton of Texas is the ranking Republican on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.