8 Senate Democrats Want T-Band Mandate Repeal in Next COVID-19 Bill
Ed Markey of Massachusetts and seven other Senate Democrats urged Senate leaders Friday to include language from the Don’t Break Up the T-Band Act in the next legislative package addressing COVID-19. President Donald Trump and Democratic lawmakers have been eyeing…
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the next bill as a vehicle for infrastructure funding (see 2004010071). House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., walked back her initial enthusiasm for such a move Friday (see 2004030055). HR-451/S-2748 would repeal a provision of the 2012 spectrum law that mandates public safety move off the 470-512 MHz T band by 2021. “Access to T-Band spectrum is essential to first responders,” the other Senate Democrats wrote Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky.; Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y.; Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss.; and ranking member Maria Cantwell, D-Wash. “At a time when first responders already face enormous pressure and economic strain to address the pandemic, the last thing we should do is saddle them with millions of dollars in costs to needlessly alter their critical communications systems.” Other signers: Judiciary Committee ranking member Dianne Feinstein of California, Ben Cardin and Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, Kirsten Gillibrand of New York, Kamala Harris of California and Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. The senators noted support from more than a dozen groups, including the National League of Cities, National Sheriffs’ Association and International Association of Fire Fighters. The House Communications Subcommittee advanced HR-451 in March. Lawmakers attempted to advance language from HR-451/S-2748 via the 5G Spectrum Act (S-2881) and House Democrats’ Take Responsibility for Workers and Families Act counterproposal to the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act (HR-748).