Bipartisan House Bill Seeks to Pair 1755-1780 MHz Band With AWS-3 Auction

The bill would give 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. Defense, which had no comment, 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 bill specifies that in geographic areas where clearing the band would threaten essential military capabilities, spectrum sharing would be authorized. Two co-sponsors of the bill, Smith and Hunter, are members of the House Armed Services Committee, which maintains jurisdiction over the Defense Department.

Matsui said the bill is a “win-win for consumers and for American innovation,” according to a news release. “The clock continues to tick on the AWS-3 auction, and I believe pairing it with the 1755-1780 MHz band presents our nation with a rare opportunity to spur American innovation and economic growth in the 21st Century,” she said. Guthrie said the bill will benefit consumers and taxpayers: “To meet the demands of an ever-growing and advancing society, we must be more efficient when it comes to the use of spectrum, but we also must find ways to free up additional spectrum for commercial use.”

The cost of relocating Defense spectrum would be covered by the Spectrum Relocation Fund, which would be paid for from 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.

A chorus of groups representing the wireless industry hailed the legislation in separate news releases following its reintroduction. CTIA President Steve Largent said it’s “time for the United States to do what most of the rest of the developed world already has done, which is to open the 1755 band for commercial service.” The Efficient Use of Government Spectrum Act “offers a path that can deliver a win for government users and industry alike, and most importantly for taxpayers, since linking the 1755 to 1780 band with the upcoming auction of the 2155 to 2180 band is likely to produce substantially higher revenue than an unpaired auction of the 2155 to 2180 band,” Largent said. Steven Berry, president of the Competitive Carriers Association, said the bill will “make a down payment for FirstNet” as well as “promote competition and innovation throughout the wireless industry.”

Verizon Senior Vice President-Federal Government Relations Peter Davidson said the bill is “an important step to ensure wireless networks have the capacity to serve consumers who depend on their performance, while also maintaining important safeguards to protect the Department of Defense and other federal agencies in the spectrum-reallocation efforts.” Larry Krevor, Sprint vice president-government affairs, commended Matsui and Guthrie for “recognizing that more spectrum needs to be made available to support the growing consumer demand for wireless broadband services.” CEA CEO Gary Shapiro urged lawmakers to quickly pass the bill, which he said would reallocate “our nation’s valuable spectrum for wireless broadband, while raising much-needed funds for the U.S. Treasury.” Rhod Shaw, executive director of the High Tech Spectrum Coalition, said the bill presents an “enormous opportunity to generate jobs without government expenditures, raise revenue at a time when budgets are constrained, and increase our GDP.”