AIRWAVES Act
Latest action · Feb 9, 2018 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.
- IntroducedFeb 6, 2018
- Passed HouseNot reached
- Passed SenateNot reached
- To the PresidentNot reached
- Became lawNot reached
Summary
Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum Act or the AIRWAVES Act
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to complete auctions by December 31, 2020, that will grant priority access broadcast licenses for specified frequency spectrum bands.
The FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration are directed to identify frequencies in specified spectrum bands that may be utilized for non-federal unlicensed use and commercial licensed use.
The FCC must allocate 10% of proceeds from each of the spectrum band auctions specified in the bill to expand wireless infrastructure in rural areas that are underserved or unserved.
The FCC shall conduct a study on how unlicensed frequency spectrum bands can be utilized for: (1) the provision of healthcare in rural areas, (2) distance learning, and (3) facilitating innovations in agriculture.
Cosponsors 54
Members who signed on, in the order they did. Signatures ran from Feb 6, 2018 to Nov 16, 2018; 7 are original cosponsors, there from the day it was introduced.
| Seat | Cosponsor | Signed on | |
|---|---|---|---|
| R-KY | Brett Guthrie | Original | Feb 6, 2018 |
| D-CA | Doris O. Matsui | Original | Feb 6, 2018 |
| D-PA | Michael F. Doyle | Original | Feb 6, 2018 |
| D-VT | Peter Welch | Original | Feb 6, 2018 |
| R-IN | Susan W. Brooks | Original | Feb 6, 2018 |
| R-MI | Tim Walberg | Original | Feb 6, 2018 |
| D-NY | Yvette D. Clarke | Original | Feb 6, 2018 |
| R-CA | Mimi Walters | Feb 7, 2018 | |
| D-NH | Ann M. Kuster | Feb 26, 2018 | |
| R-PA | Ryan A. Costello | Feb 26, 2018 | |
| D-WI | Mark Pocan | Mar 5, 2018 | |
| R-MO | Billy Long | Mar 8, 2018 | |
| D-FL | Alcee L. Hastings | Mar 13, 2018 | |
| D-PA | Robert A. Brady | Mar 21, 2018 | |
| R-OH | Bill Johnson | Apr 12, 2018 | |
| D-IL | Bobby L. Rush | Apr 13, 2018 | |
| D-NY | Gregory W. Meeks | Apr 13, 2018 | |
| D-TX | Filemon Vela | Apr 18, 2018 | |
| R-MI | Fred Upton | Apr 18, 2018 | |
| D-TX | Gene Green | Apr 18, 2018 | |
| D-TX | Vicente Gonzalez | Apr 18, 2018 | |
| R-MI | David A. Trott | Apr 25, 2018 | |
| D-NJ | Donald M. Payne, Jr. | Apr 25, 2018 | |
| D-GA | Henry C. "Hank" Johnson, Jr. | Apr 25, 2018 | |
| D-TX | Marc A. Veasey | Apr 25, 2018 | |
| R-IL | John Shimkus | Apr 26, 2018 | |
| R-NY | Chris Collins | May 10, 2018 | |
| D-CA | Jimmy Gomez | May 10, 2018 | |
| R-WA | Cathy McMorris Rodgers | May 17, 2018 | |
| R-CA | Darrell Issa | May 17, 2018 | |
| D-MD | Anthony G. Brown | May 21, 2018 | |
| D-CA | Pete Aguilar | May 21, 2018 | |
| D-MA | Michael E. Capuano | May 23, 2018 | |
| D-CA | Jerry McNerney | Jun 5, 2018 | |
| R-KS | Lynn Jenkins | Jun 5, 2018 | |
| R-MI | Jack Bergman | Jun 7, 2018 | |
| R-IN | Larry Bucshon | Jun 12, 2018 | |
| D-GU | Madeleine Z. Bordallo | Jun 12, 2018 | |
| D-NY | Nydia M. Velázquez | Jun 12, 2018 | |
| R-NC | Richard Hudson | Jun 12, 2018 | |
| R-IL | Adam Kinzinger | Jun 13, 2018 | |
| R-OH | Robert E. Latta | Jun 13, 2018 | |
| R-ND | Kevin Cramer | Jun 14, 2018 | |
| R-TX | Joe Barton | Jun 21, 2018 | |
| R-GA | Earl L. "Buddy" Carter | Jun 26, 2018 | |
| R-UT | John R. Curtis | Jun 26, 2018 | |
| R-OK | Tom Cole | Jun 26, 2018 | |
| D-NY | Eliot L. Engel | Jul 10, 2018 | |
| R-FL | Matt Gaetz | Jul 10, 2018 | |
| D-NM | Ben Ray Luján | Jul 16, 2018 | |
| D-NY | Kathleen M. Rice | Jul 16, 2018 | |
| R-FL | Carlos Curbelo | Sep 20, 2018 | |
| D-IL | Robin L. Kelly | Sep 28, 2018 | |
| D-MO | Wm. Lacy Clay | Nov 16, 2018 |
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 Feb 6, 2018 |
| Communications and Technology Subcommittee | Referred Feb 9, 2018 |
Actions 3
Everything that happened, newest first.
- Feb 9, 2018Referred to the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology.
- Feb 6, 2018Introduced in House
- Feb 6, 2018Referred 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 Congressional Record, vol. 164, no. 23, February 6, 2018, page H902.
CRS reports 1
Congressional Research Service work that CRS links to this bill or the law it became, newest first.
Cite it 1
Products on other subjects that cite it, usually among other measures.
| Product | Title | Kind | Published |
|---|---|---|---|
| R45485 | Fifth-Generation (5G) Telecommunications Technologies: Issues for Congress | Report | Jan 30, 2019 |
Related bills 1
Companion bills and other measures the record links to this one.
| Bill | Title | Relationship | Latest action |
|---|---|---|---|
| S 1682 | AIRWAVES Act | Related bill | Aug 1, 2017 |
Titles 3
Every title it has carried, official and short, at each stage.
- Official Title as Introduced
- To facilitate a national pipeline of spectrum for commercial use, and for other purposes.
- Short Titles as Introduced
- AIRWAVES Act
- Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum Act
Subjects
Assigned by the Library of Congress. Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications.
Text 1
Each version as it was printed, newest first.
- Feb 6, 2018Introduced 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.
