Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said he was disappointed that lawmakers...
Sen. John Thune, R-S.D., said he was disappointed that lawmakers “diluted” his spectrum amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act, which passed on Tuesday evening. “It was diluted and weakened but at least we got something out there,” he said…
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in an interview at the Capitol. The amendment, which was adopted by unanimous consent, urges the federal government and its agencies to consider spectrum reallocation and sharing agreements for use by licensed networks and unlicensed devices. The amendment recommended that the federal government explore spectrum sharing solutions as a means to alleviate the lack of bandwidth available to the private sector. It specifically urges the Defense Department to consider reallocating its use of spectrum in the 1755-1780 MHz band for commercial use and to create a long term plan to balance national security needs with the private sector’s demand for spectrum. The amendment said the FCC and NTIA should provide replacement spectrum to federal users prior to any reallocation of federal spectrum. “The agencies have to work together -- the private economy needs it if it is going to grow,” said Thune. “We need the FCC working with the various agencies and the DOD, and the federal government has to figure out a way to approach this in a way that helps us free up spectrum to address what is very big and important part of our growing economy.” Thune would not say if he thought federal sharing scenarios are the best solution to address the private sector’s demand for more spectrum. “I think there is a way that you can do this … in a way that everybody can benefit and get their needs addressed for spectrum,” he said.