Mayor Makes Strong Case For Anti-Terror $
BY JOHN TOSCANO

Addressing the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, the mayor declared: "From Day 1, I have urged that Homeland Security funding be distributed, based on risk and risk alone."

Stressing that the deadly 9/11 attack on the World Trade Center "was not intended to be a solitary event", Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday made a strong plea to Washington lawmakers for sufficient funds to prepare the city's anti-terrorism defenses, should another attack occur.

Addressing the U.S. Senate Homeland Security Committee, chaired by Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, the mayor declared: "From Day 1, I have urged that Homeland Security funding be distributed, based on risk and risk alone."

He said he was glad that the 9/11 Commission endorsed this policy but complained, "Time and time again our calls for fully riskbased Homeland Security money have been ignored. Instead we have seen huge sums of Homeland Security money spread across the country like peanut butter."

Bloomberg said more than $3 billion has been distributed in this manner, leading him to conclude that the Al-Qaeda terror network "must be laughing all the way to their tents".

The mayor added that if the panel wants to continue "spreading money around the states, don't call it homeland security".

The mayor placed the blame for this policy on both the Bush administration and prior to this January 1, what has been a Republican-controlled Congress.

Nevertheless, Bloomberg acknowledged that things are changing, judging from the Homeland Security Department's recent attitude switch, which "gave greater consideration to threat".

The mayor completed his statement by saying he appreciated the opportunity to come before the committee, but added, "I just would urge you to take a look not at the politics, but [at] what will keep this city, this region and this country [as] safe as it can possibly be."

The hearing before the Senate Homeland Security Committee was on the question of whether the Senate and House would implement the 41 recommendations of the 9/11 Commission.

One recommendation said the United States should apportion anti-terrorism funds according to risk. For several years the New York City Congressional delegation and Senate representatives have pressed the same argument. However, the Bush administration Homeland Security Department was persuaded to apportion virtually equal amounts to all states even those not facing anywhere near the risk confronting New York City and other major cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles.

The mayor also made a pitch for a portion of a $1 billion pot of anti-terror funds held by HSA being given out to cities and states to improve communications between public safety agencies.

New York City faces the loss of those funds because for the past decade it has developed such a system for use in the 400- megahertz band. Federal regulations call for the systems to operate on the 700-megahertz band.

The mayor, trying to protect the city's share of the $1 billion, wrote to the Bush administration and Congressional leaders last

week saying that New York and

other cities should not be forced to create a system within the 700- megahertz band.

He also pointed out that in 1995 the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) had given the city a waiver to use UHF Channel 16, at 482 megahertz to 488 megahertz, and assigned that channel to the New York metropolitan area for public safety communications' use three years ago.