House Passes Bill on FCC Spectrum Auction Authority and Lower 3 GHz Band

On July 27, the House of Representatives passed the Spectrum Innovation Act of 2022 (H.R. 7624). The House deserves credit for passing the bill, which will help ensure a continuing supply of spectrum to meet future demands for next-gen wireless services.  

The bill was the subject of my blog from July 13. As stated in that blog, the Spectrum Innovation Act would extend the FCC's auction authority to March 2024. It also would authorize the Secretary of Commerce to identify 200 MHz in the lower 3 GHz band "for non-Federal use, shared Federal and non-Federal use, or a combination thereof." The bill authorizes the Commission to conduct an auction for spectrum licenses in the band. 

 

As reported by many outlets, the Spectrum Innovation Act also dedicates several billion dollars from future spectrum license auction proceeds to fund next-gen 911 services as well as the "rip-and-replace" program that is intended to help protect national security by removing Chinese-made equipment from U.S. communications networks. 

 

The Spectrum Innovation Act now goes to the Senate, and hopefully it will receive timely consideration.