House Passes Bill to Modernize Federal Spectrum IT

On November 17, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 7310 – the Spectrum IT Modernization Act of 2020 – by a voice vote. The Act would require NTIA to submit a plan for modernizing its spectrum information technology systems and also require federal agencies that use federally-assigned spectrum to submit to plans for modernizing as well as increasing the effectiveness their own infrastructure.  

Under the bill, the NTIA would report to the Congress on its own management of spectrum infrastructure. Additionally, each agency that uses federally assigned spectrum would submit a plan to the NTIA describing its plans to modernize its infrastructure to use it more effectively. Additionally, the Act would require the Comptroller General of the United States to conduct oversight of NTIA's spectrum IT modernization and report to Congress annually on the implementation of NTIA's plan.

In House floor remarks on the Act, H.R. 7310's sponsor and House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Frank Pallone stated that the bill would ensure that systems for using federal spectrum are compatible and interoperable between federal agencies. Ranking Committee member Greg Walden, in his floor remarks, called the Act "a good government bill."

 

By all accounts, H.R. 7310 is a reasonable and worthwhile measure that would bring about improvements in federal agencies' use and coordination of spectrum. The Senate version of the Act, S.  3717, has been favorably reported by the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.