Can You Hear Me Now? Cell Phone Service Coming to Metro

H.R. 2095: Railroad Safety Enhancement Act of 2008, is now on the way to the President's desk for signature. The bill gives the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) $1.5 billion in federal funding for its Metro system.

The legislation provides funding to Metro on the condition that it is used to maintain the existing system and not to add new tracks or stations. Metro plans to buy and maintain rail cars and buses and renovate stations in need of repair, said Metro spokesman Steven Taubenkibel.

Of interest to frequent Metro users, the bill requires that Metro expand cell phone coverage to assure service at its 20 busiest stops within the next year and install service at all stops within four years. Currently, only Verizon or Sprint roaming customers can receive signals - and the coverage is spotty at best.

For the government to award the money, Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Virginia must match it with $1.5 billion of their own, with each jurisdiction paying $500 million apiece.

Senator Tom Coburn, R-Okla., placed a hold on the legislation Friday, making it the most recent of more than 80 spending bills that he has held since 2005. While he approved of many of the bill's safety reforms, he strongly objected to what he considered wasteful funding, most notably the $1.5 billion for Metro and almost $13.1 billion for Amtrak. As a side note, Senator Biden (D-Amtrak), did not vote on this bill.

The Senate was able to get around Coburn's hold Monday by voting for cloture. When approved by 60 senators, cloture limits consideration of a bill to no more than 30 additional hours. The motion passed, 69-17, clearing the way for Wednesday's vote.

The bill is now before the President awaiting his review and signature.

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