Communication interoperability not yet achieved, says Chertoff.

• Position: SECURITY BEAT - Michael Chertoff, former Homeland Security Secretary

Former Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff expressed frustration that the federal government has yet to establish a national radio spectrum available to public-safety agencies during emergencies, The plan was proposed more than a decade ago and has been in the works since 2007.

Two years ago, the Federal Communications Commission reserved a 10-megahertz block of radio spectrum for public-safety use. Commission officials expected a private company to buy the space and build a radio network that would be leased to police forces, fire departments and other emergency-response agencies.

The plan stalled last year when only one company bid for the space, but at a price well below what the FCC was willing to accept. This spectrum, known as the D-block, remains unsold and unused.

"It is disappointing that we haven't, for example, reached a decision on a dedicated spectrum and that we haven't moved forward on basic interoperability in parts of the country," Chertoff said at a panel discussion in Washington on emergency communications. "It's an issue of funding, and it has taken longer than people anticipated."

A national public-safety radio spectrum would...