”We are hopeful” that Congress will take rapid action to...

Media & Telecom Council’s conference Thursday. Spectrum is likely to be part of the House-Senate conference negotiations over the payroll tax cut legislation, he said. Meanwhile, NTIA has focused its efforts on evaluating the 1755-1850 MHz band for potential repurposing to commercial use, said Anna Gomez, deputy administrator. The agency completed its technical review of the band and is now collaborating with OMB and the federal agencies to finalize its recommendation, which is expected to be available in the coming weeks, she said. It’s a complex inquiry because “we are dealing with large systems, such as air combat training systems,” that would be expensive and time-consuming to relocate, she said. NTIA is also working on its online privacy report that would provide more certainty for business and consumers, she said. The agency also seeks to promote interoperability among governments to help U.S. business operate across borders, she said. RUS is focusing on implementing the Substantially Underserved Trust Area (SUTA) provisions of the 2008 farm bill, Administrator Jonathan Adelstein said. The SUTA provisions offer RUS new tools to finance telecom infrastructure in underserved tribal communities, he said.