§1423 Public Safety Interoperability Board

Summary

Creates an advisory group inside the Commission called the Technical Advisory Board for First Responder Interoperability. The Commission Chairman must appoint 14 voting members within 30 days after February 22, 2012: 4 from wireless providers (2 national, 1 regional, 1 rural), 3 from equipment makers, 4 from public safety (at least 1 manager and at least 1 employee), and 3 from state or local government chosen to reflect different regions and population sizes. All members must have relevant technical or public safety communications experience. The Assistant Secretary picks one non‑voting member. Members serve for the life of the board but can be removed for cause. The board fills vacancies the same way, chooses a chair and vice chair, and needs a majority to meet. The board must, within 90 days after February 22, 2012, and after consulting NTIA, NIST, and DHS Office of Emergency Communications, create recommended minimum technical requirements to ensure nationwide interoperability for the public safety broadband network and base them on commercial LTE standards. The board sends those recommendations to the Commission, which has 30 days to approve or revise them and then must forward them to the First Responder Network Authority. Board members may be paid travel expenses at standard federal rates. Chapter 10 of title 5 does not apply to the board. The board ends 15 days after the Commission sends the recommendations to the First Responder Network Authority.