HBA-SEP H.B. 3380 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 3380 By: King, Phil State Affairs 3/28/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The state, local county authorities, and municipalities ensure the delivery and coordination of critical government services through the use of two-way radio communications. The equipment currently in use is outdated, expensive to maintain, requires duplication of infrastructure, and is not coordinated to permit multi-agency communications. The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has recently set aside new 700 MHZ radio channels, the largest single block of spectrum ever allocated to public safety, to be utilized in the development of new, shared statewide radio communications networks. FCC rules require Texas to apply for these channels no later than December 31, 2001 or the channels will be reassigned to other applicants. Though not expected to begin until 2006, a transition to a new statewide radio system would require the purchase of new radio equipment that is incompatible with radio equipment currently being purchased by the state today. It may be economically prudent to require that radio and wireless communications purchases made on an interim basis, before a final decision regarding the implementation of a statewide system, be made in a manner that will minimize expenditures until state agencies operate in a shared frequency band. House Bill 3380 prohibits the General Services Commission and each state agency from acquiring any wireless communications equipment that incorporates a single American National Standards Institute standardized digital protocol until such time as all state agencies utilizing two-way radio wireless communications equipment operate within the same frequency band. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 3380 amends the Government Code to prohibit the General Services Commission and each state agency from acquiring any wireless communications equipment that incorporates a single American National Standards Institute standardized digital protocol until such time as all state agencies utilizing twoway radio wireless communications equipment operate within the same frequency band. EFFECTIVE DATE On passage, or if the Act does not receive the necessary vote, the Act takes effect September 1, 2001.