Smithfield, NC - Jason Barbour, Communications Director for Johnston County Government, testified at a hearing before the Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet on Thursday, September 24, 2009 in Washington, DC.

The purpose of the hearing was to examine potential options for the creation of a national interoperable broadband network for use by the public safety community and the pros and cons of those options, including what spectrum should be used for a network, who would build it, how to fund it and how to ensure nationwide availability.

Mr. Barbour testified that ensuring that public safety agencies and emergency responders are connected to broadband (wireline and wireless) must be a national priority, that a sustainable funding source is in place to pay for public safety's access to, and use of, broadband and that any proposal for the establishment of a wireless public safety broadband network must take into consideration the needs of rural America and ensure access to the network in all areas of the country.