A bipartisan group of House lawmakers plans to reintroduce...
A bipartisan group of House lawmakers plans to reintroduce legislation to require the FCC to pair for commercial auction the 1755-1780 MHz band with the 2155-2180 MHz band, Capitol Hill sources told us Wednesday. The forthcoming bill, which will be…
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co-sponsored by Reps. Doris Matsui, D-Calif., and Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., will mirror the Efficient Use of Government Spectrum Act which failed to pass in the 112th Congress (CD April 12/12 p1). Pairing the 1755-1780 MHz band, which has long been a top target of carriers, with the 2155-2180 MHz band would allow the spectrum to be auctioned and licensed by February 2015. Spokesmen for Matsui and Guthrie did not comment. The bill provides the Department of Defense and other federal agencies a five-year window to leave the band and offers reimbursements for planning costs and the acquisition of replacement systems, Hill sources said. Defense is a large user of the band and the federal demand for spectrum is increasing due to the prevalence of advanced systems like drones. The cost of relocating Defense systems would be covered by the Spectrum Relocation Fund, which would be paid with the proceeds from the future commercial auction of the 1755-1780 MHz band, according to the bill. A March 2012 NTIA report estimated that repurposing all 95 MHz of the 1755-1850 MHz band would cost $18 billion and take 10 years to clear. NTIA had no comment. CTIA Vice President-Government Affairs Jot Carpenter said in an email statement the group “strongly supports efforts to reallocate the 1755 to 1780 megahertz band in time for it to be auctioned with the 2155 to 2180 megahertz band. Congresswoman Matsui has been a consistent advocate for the reallocation of the 1755 band and we greatly appreciate her continued leadership on this issue.”