Federal Spectrum Incentive Act of 2015
Latest action · Dec 2, 2015 Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
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 26, 2015
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Federal Spectrum Incentive Act of 2015
Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to allow federal entities that utilize government station licenses to participate in the incentive auction program under which licensees of electromagnetic spectrum voluntarily relinquish their spectrum rights in order for such spectrum to be auctioned for a repurposed commercial use in exchange for a percentage of the auction proceeds.
Permits such federal entities, instead of being reimbursed for the costs of sharing frequencies with nonfederal users or relocating to other frequencies as provided for under current law, to receive a percentage of the proceeds from spectrum it relinquishes for auction by electing to: (1) discontinue operations on eligible frequencies without relocating to other frequencies, or (2) relocate operations to frequencies assigned to another federal entity in order for such entities to share frequencies.
Establishes in the Treasury a Federal Spectrum Incentive Fund to be administered by the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) in consultation with the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.
Requires 1% of the proceeds from such auctions to be deposited in such Fund and the remainder to be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury for the sole purpose of deficit reduction.
Directs OMB to transfer from the Fund to a federal entity a specified amount attributable to the auction of frequencies vacated by such entity. Permits federal entities to use such amounts for: (1) any purposes permitted under the terms and conditions of an appropriations account that was subject to sequestration for any fiscal year under the Balanced Budget and Emergency Deficit Control Act of 1985, provided that the amount used does not exceed the amount by which the account was reduced by sequestration for such fiscal year; or (2) a transfer of amounts to an incumbent federal entity for such purposes when the federal entity relinquishing spectrum relocates its operations to frequencies assigned to another federal entity in order to share frequencies.
Cosponsors 3
Members who signed on, in the order they did. All signed on Mar 26, 2015.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| D-CA | Anna G. Eshoo | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| D-CA | Doris O. Matsui | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
| R-OR | Greg Walden | Original | Mar 26, 2015 |
Committees 2
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 26, 2015 |
| Communications and Technology Subcommittee | Referred Mar 27, 2015Markup Dec 2, 2015Reported Dec 2, 2015 | |
| House | Armed Services Committee | Referred Mar 26, 2015 |
| Intelligence and Special Operations Subcommittee | Referred Aug 13, 2015 |
Actions 6
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Dec 2, 2015Subcommittee Consideration and Mark-up Session Held.
- Dec 2, 2015Forwarded by Subcommittee to Full Committee by Voice Vote .
- Aug 13, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Emerging Threats and Capabilities.
- Mar 27, 2015Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
- Mar 26, 2015Introduced in House
- Mar 26, 2015Referred to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, and in addition to the Committee on Armed Services, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
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.
| Where | In the Record | Members | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| House | Lists H2112–H2115H.R. 1641–1730 | — | Mar 26, 2015 |
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 Congressional Record, vol. 161, no. 51, March 26, 2015, page H2112.
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. 114-132 | LEGISLATIVE HEARING ON SEVEN COMMUNICATIONS BILLS191 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | Apr 13, 2016 |
| Serial No. 114-84 | IMPROVING FEDERAL SPECTRUM SYSTEMS66 pages | Energy and Commerce Committee | Oct 7, 2015 |
Related bills 3
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 887 | Federal Spectrum Incentive Act of 2015 | Related bill | Mar 26, 2015 |
| HR 1888 | Federal Spectrum Incentive Act of 2017 | Reintroduced Bill | Apr 24, 2017 |
| HR 3682 | Reducing Employer Burdens, Unleashing Innovation, and Labor Development Act of 2015 | Related bill | Sep 30, 2016 |
Titles 2
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To amend the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to provide incentives for the reallocation of Federal Government spectrum for commercial use, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- Federal Spectrum Incentive Act of 2015
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Mar 26, 2015Introduced 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.
