Spectrum Inventory and Auction Act of 2011
Latest action · Mar 11, 2011 Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
Progress
Where this bill reached, and when. A stage with no date was not reached; one that failed a vote and later carried shows the date it carried.
- IntroducedMar 3, 2011
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Spectrum Inventory and Auction Act of 2011 - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to require the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) inventory, at least semiannually, each broadband radio spectrum band of frequencies listed in the U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations, including the identity of each federal or non-federal user within each radio service authorized to operate in each band of frequencies, the activities and capabilities (whether space-, air-, or ground-based) supported by transmitters and other radio frequency devices, the total amount of spectrum and geographic coverage areas assigned or licensed to each user, and other specified information; and (2) make the inventory available to the public on an Internet website.
Directs the Assistant Secretary and the FCC to submit to Congress a biennial report containing a recommendation of which bands of inventoried frequencies, if any, should be reallocated or made available for shared access.
Sets forth exceptions for federal agencies to withhold certain national security information.
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that, if the FCC determines that it is consistent with the public interest in spectrum utilization (after a report of the initial inventory is submitted to Congress and made available on the Internet) for a licensee to voluntarily relinquish licensed spectrum usage rights to permit the assignment of new initial licenses or the allocation of spectrum for unlicensed use subject to new service rules, the proceeds from granting such rights to another licensee under an appropriate competitive bidding system must be shared, in a more than de minimis amount that the FCC considers appropriate, with the licensee who voluntarily relinquished such rights.
Directs the FCC to establish rules for such voluntary incentive auction revenue sharing.
Prohibits the FCC from reclaiming frequencies of any licensees on an involuntary basis for certain licensing purposes.
Extends the FCC's authority to grant a license or permit under the applicable competitive bidding provisions to September 30, 2020.
Cosponsors 4
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on May 26, 2011.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-MS | Bennie G. Thompson | May 26, 2011 | |
| D-OK | Dan Boren | May 26, 2011 | |
| D-FL | Debbie Wasserman Schultz | May 26, 2011 | |
| D-NJ | Steven R. Rothman | May 26, 2011 |
Committees 1
Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.
| Chamber | Committee | What it did |
|---|---|---|
| House | Energy and Commerce Committee | Referred Mar 3, 2011 |
| Communications and Technology Subcommittee | Referred Mar 11, 2011 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Mar 11, 2011Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
- Mar 3, 2011Introduced in House
- Mar 3, 2011Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Research
What has been written about this bill: committee reports, cost estimates, the sponsor’s authority statement, printed hearings and the Congressional Research Service’s work.
Constitutional authority
The sponsor’s statement, as printed in the page H1576.
Printed hearings 2
Hearings whose printed record names this bill, newest first: hearings on it, and wider hearings where it came up.
| Number | Hearing | Committee | Held |
|---|---|---|---|
| Serial No. 112-69 | FEDERAL GOVERNMENT SPECTRUM USE54 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | Jul 6, 2011 |
| Serial No. 112-36 | USING SPECTRUM TO ADVANCE PUBLIC SAFETY, PROMOTE BROADBAND, CREATE JOBS, AND REDUCE THE DEFICIT376 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | Apr 12, 2011 |
Related bills 7
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 28 | Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act | Related bill | Jan 25, 2011 |
| S 415 | Spectrum Optimization Act | Related bill | Feb 17, 2011 |
| S 455 | RADIOS Act | Related bill | Mar 2, 2011 |
| S 522 | Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2011 | Related bill | Mar 9, 2011 |
| HR 1622 | Spectrum Innovation Act | Related bill | Apr 25, 2011 |
| HR 2482 | Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation Act | Related bill | Aug 15, 2011 |
| HR 3509 | Wireless Innovation and Public Safety Act of 2011 | Related bill | Dec 9, 2011 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission to conduct an inventory of broadband spectrum, to authorize the Commission, contingent on the completion of such inventory, to conduct auctions of voluntarily relinquished spectrum usage rights and to share the revenues with the licensees who relinquished such rights, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Spectrum Inventory and Auction Act of 2011
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 3, 2011Introduced in House
Everything here is as published by Congress: the summary is the Congressional Research Service's, the action wording is the clerks', and the subjects are the Library of Congress's. How far it got is read from the actions themselves, taking the most recent one of each kind, so a bill that failed a vote and later passed is shown as having passed. Records come from this bill on Congress.gov and govinfo.gov; cost estimates are the Congressional Budget Office's, and the hearings are the printed hearings GovInfo publishes, which can appear months after the hearing.
