S 455 · 112th Congress 2011โ€“2013, ended

RADIOS Act

Latest action · Mar 2, 2011 Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

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.

  1. IntroducedMar 2, 2011
  2. Passed SenateNot reached
  3. Passed HouseNot reached
  4. To the PresidentNot reached
  5. Became lawNot reached

Summary

Reforming Airwaves by Developing Incentives and Opportunistic Sharing Act or the RADIOS Act - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), subject to specified national security, classified information, and public safety exceptions, and in consultation with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Office of Science and Technology Policy, to: (1) biennially inventory each radio spectrum band from 300 megahertz to at least 6.5 gigahertz managed by each such agency, including information on the total spectrum authorized for each licensee or federal government user and the approximate number of deployed or authorized transmitters, end-user terminals, or receivers (excluding unintended radiators) in the band; and (2) make the information available to the public through the Internet.

Directs the FCC and NTIA to conduct a study of occupancy on the electromagnetic spectrum (between, at least, 100 megahertz and 10 gigahertz) based on the extent of the use of such spectrum.

Directs the FCC and NTIA to determine appropriate benchmarks for assessing: (1) the utilization of each electromagnetic spectrum band, and (2) the availability of services operating in bands capable of offering substitutable services.

Requires the FCC to study and seek public comment on means of providing greater predictability in the determination of harmful interference along the electromagnetic spectrum.

Directs the FCC and NTIA to identify specified close proximity electromagnetic spectrum most feasible for: (1) spectrum sharing opportunities for commercial and federal government users, (2) spectrum reuse opportunities for commercial and federal government users, (3) temporary or dynamic short-term assignment and use, and (4) spectrum layering opportunities for commercial and federal government users.

Directs the FCC and NTIA to: (1) implement pilot programs (and possibly permanent programs, if deemed viable) to promote spectrum sharing and reuse activities for such identified spectrum bands, (2) examine each radio spectrum band from 2.5 to 6 gigahertz to determine spectrum sharing opportunities for high bandwidth, low-power applications and services, (3) perform a cost-benefit analysis on electromagnetic spectrum relocation opportunities to move certain federal users and services currently operating in a specific band of the spectrum to more efficient spectrum bands, and (4) establish the Spectrum Advisory Committee.

Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to provide for the reversion of unused Spectrum Relocation Fund amounts to the Treasury after 20 years (current law provides for reversion after 8 years).

Requires each transmission system (any telecommunications, broadcast, satellite, commercial mobile service, or other communications system that employs radio spectrum) to be designated and operated in a manner that prevents impairment by reasonably used adjacent spectrum. Directs to ensure such compliance: (1) manufacturers of transmission system products and services, and (2) each licensee or approved federal government user.

Directs the FCC and NTIA to conduct: (1) a cost-benefit analysis on the value of improving received standards as it relates to increasing spectral efficiency, improving operation of services in adjacent frequencies, narrowing the guard bands between adjacent spectrum use, and improving overall receiver performance for the end user; and (2) a feasibility study on a more efficient spectrum incentive pricing system.

Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that, if consistent with the public interest for an eligible licensee to relinquish some or all of its spectrum usage rights in order to permit the assignment of new initial licenses or the allocation of spectrum for unlicensed use, the proceeds from the use of a competitive bidding system may be shared with any such eligible licensee. Extends the FCC's auction authority until September 30, 2017.

Directs the NTIA to establish spectrum efficiency and utilization baselines for the use of spectrum assigned to each federal agency. Requires a federal agency that fails to meet the baseline to file a cost report and analysis (determined to be reasonable by the NTIA) as a condition to receiving funds from the NTIA and OMB to defray necessary upgrade costs.

Requires the Department of Commerce and the FCC to triennially develop a 10-year National Strategic Spectrum Plan, as specified.

Directs the OMB to rewrite Circular A-11 to ensure that federal agencies give more consideration to spectrum use in their management processes.

Requires each federal agency, to the extent feasible, to share existing spectrum assignments with non-federal users.

Requires the FCC and NTIA to issue and seek public comment on a report providing a strategy for coexistence of licensed and unlicensed use of spectrum and a determination of the amount of spectrum appropriate for unlicensed devices.

Requires the Administrator of the General Services Administration (GSA) to: (1) install or retrofit wireless Internet connections in federal buildings; and (2) allow wireless neutral host providers, upon request, to install such systems in all publicly accessible federal buildings.

Cosponsors 1

Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Mar 2, 2011.

SeatCosponsorSigned on
D-MAJohn F. KerryOriginalMar 2, 2011

Committees 1

Where it was sent and what each committee and subcommittee did with it, in order.

ChamberCommitteeWhat it did
SenateCommerce, Science, and Transportation Committee
Referred Mar 2, 2011

Actions 3

Everything that happened, newest first.

  1. Mar 2, 2011Introduced in Senate
  2. Mar 2, 2011Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR S1141-1142)
  3. Mar 2, 2011Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

In the Congressional Record 1

Days the Record’s own index lists this bill, newest first, with the pages and the members it names. Pages starting H are the House, S the Senate, E Extensions of Remarks.

WhereIn the RecordMembersDate
SenateDebate and remarks S1141Olympia J. Snowe R-MEMar 2, 2011

Related bills 7

Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.

BillTitleRelationshipLatest action
S 28Public Safety Spectrum and Wireless Innovation ActRelated billJan 25, 2011
S 415Spectrum Optimization ActRelated billFeb 17, 2011
S 522Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2011Related billMar 9, 2011
HR 911Spectrum Inventory and Auction Act of 2011Related billMar 11, 2011
HR 1622Spectrum Innovation ActRelated billApr 25, 2011
S 3433Radio Spectrum Inventory Act of 2012Related billJul 25, 2012
S 3439Federal Wi-Net ActRelated billJul 25, 2012

Titles 3

Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.

Official Title as Introduced
A bill to promote development and opportunity with regards to spectrum occupancy and use, and for other purposes.
Short Titles as Introduced
Reforming Airwaves by Developing Incentives and Opportunistic Sharing Act
RADIOS Act

Subjects

Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.

Text 1

Each version as it was printed, newest first.

  1. Mar 2, 2011Introduced in Senate

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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.