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Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., plans to introduce legislation...

Sen. Marco Rubio, R-Fla., plans to introduce legislation requiring the reallocation of 200 MHz of federally held spectrum for commercial use by wireless carriers, he said at a Washington event hosted by the Jack Kemp Foundation. “The more spectrum and…

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bandwidth we can open up to the private sector, the more jobs we can create,” Rubio said, citing what he sees as a spectrum “highway” getting crowded. “If we do not address it, innovations will go unrealized, consumers will face more dropped calls, overcapacity networks and higher prices.” He will introduce a bill “soon” that he hopes “will be bipartisan, to increase wireless access and affordability,” he said, speaking Monday afternoon at Google’s Washington headquarters. Such legislation could add up to $35 billion to the U.S. gross domestic product and add 140,000 jobs to the country’s economy, a Rubio fact sheet said (http://1.usa.gov/1lshTAU). The legislation would also promote wireless deployment and innovation, the fact sheet said. Rubio emphasized the importance of a free and open Internet and mentioned plans to introduce legislation enshrining the multistakeholder model of governance. When asked about the Comcast-Time Warner Cable deal, Rubio declined comment. “That’s still working itself through the Justice Department process, is that correct?” Rubio said. “I don’t know enough of the details about all the monopoly issues they would be concerned about to opine on it directly.” Rubio emphasized the different ways consumers can receive services from a variety of providers, however, and wondered how that may influence the Justice Department’s decision.