HOUSE PASSES SPECTRUM RELOCATION TRUST FUND
The House overwhelmingly passed the Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act (HR-1320), with 406 members approving the bill that would create a trust fund for govt. spectrum relocation, and only 10 members against the bill, 9 of them Republicans. The bill was widely expected to pass after appropriators dropped their concerns.
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A similar measure is tentatively scheduled to be marked up in the Senate Commerce Committee June 19. The bill (S- 865) was introduced by Committee Chmn. McCain (R-Ariz.) and is identical to the version of HR-1320 approved by the House Telecom Subcommittee on April 9 (CD April 10 p1). However, HR-1320 was amended by the full Commerce Committee on April 30 (CD May 1 p1) to include provisions that would require NTIA to study how govt. spectrum could be used for unlicensed and unauctioned usage.
House Telecom Subcommittee ranking Democrat Markey (Mass.) addressed concerns about unlicensed usage during his floor speech in support of the bill. “I don’t want the absence of unlicensed usage in the bill to compel the FCC to hold auctions,” said Markey. The FCC should continue to promote unlicensed usage, he said. Markey praised the bill, saying it included the proper oversight to prevent cost overruns. Also, Markey touted his idea of a “digital trust fund” that would use excess auction fees to fund initiatives that would support deployment of digital technology to schools and libraries.
House Telecom Subcommittee Chmn. Upton (R-Mich.) said the bill would make more commercial spectrum available more quickly. It would provide some needed certainty in the spectrum auction process and ultimately led to new wireless services and eventually, a better economy. The bill would require all auctions to raise at least 110% of the estimated relocation costs, he said. “The taxpayers won’t pay a dime to relocate government spectrum,” Upton said. House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) said: “This is one area where we can immediately assist America’s economy.
Tauzin made a connection between the bill and E-911, which he spoke passionately in favor of. The federal govt. won’t touch the money in the spectrum trust fund, Tauzin said, and states and localities should do the same with E-911 funds. “Local and state governments have to stop raiding E- 911 funds,” Tauzin said. Several local govts. have used fees for E-911 funding to be used for other budget priorities, Tauzin said. House staffers told us Tauzin drew the connection between the 2 issues based on the trust fund, noting that states shouldn’t be raiding their own trust funds for E-911. The bill wouldn’t address E-911 implementation issues. Tauzin called E-911 a top priority and noted that a personal friend who was in a car accident might have been found earlier if there was location technology on his cell phone. Also, Congressional E-911 Caucus co-chmn. Burns (R- Mont.) and Clinton (D-N.Y.) have planned to introduce E-911 legislation today (Thurs.)