Doyle, Gardner, Hassan Circulating Dueling Spectrum Bills
At least two draft wireless spectrum bills are under development on Capitol Hill, though a bill led by House Communications Subcommittee ranking member Mike Doyle, D-Pa., appears to be closer to a formal introduction, said wireless industry lobbyists in interviews. Doyle is looking to file his bill this week, while staffers for Sens. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., and Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., are meeting with stakeholders to revise their draft bill, lobbyists said. A Senate aide confirmed Gardner and Hassan were partnering, given Hassan’s burgeoning interest on telecom issues.
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It’s not clear whether Gardner and Hassan are coordinating with Doyle as the two bills germinate. Both pieces of legislation are targeted at “positively identifying” additional spectrum to make available for wireless industry purchase via a future FCC auction, one lobbyist said. Doyle, like Gardner and Hassan, is aiming his bill at repurposing “underutilized” public sector spectrum for wireless industry use, the lobbyist said. Spokesmen for Doyle, Gardner and Hassan didn’t comment.
Gardner and Hassan are developing their bill amid “chatter” about some Senate Republicans’ interest in using a planned July vote to raise the debt ceiling as a vehicle for moving some spectrum-related legislation, a telecom lobbyist said. Legislation that would create potential revenue of around $2 billion through another wireless spectrum auction would “fit the bill” for congressional Republicans, the lobbyist said. The Gardner-Hassan bill is unlikely to “see the light of day” until after Congress’ upcoming July 4 recess given where the senators’ offices stand in their discussions with interested parties, a wireless lobbyist said.
Wireless industry interests are looking to push for the Gardner-Hassan bill to focus on identifying potential mid-band spectrum for auction, given the recent success of the FCC’s 600 MHz incentive auction and the agency’s spectrum frontiers proceeding on high-band spectrum, a telecom lobbyist said. The wireless industry wants to ensure "there’s a good mixture of mid-band spectrum as part of the equation,” the lobbyist said. A wireless lobbyist noted there was interest in also targeting the bill at high-band spectrum.
The Gardner-Hassan bill could be “complementary” to the goals of the Senate Commerce Committee-cleared Mobile Now Act (S-19) spectrum bill, since both bills aim to “establish a pipeline” for spectrum reallocation, a wireless lobbyist said. A July introduction wouldn’t be too soon for that bill to be associated with Mobile Now, but legislative strategy hasn't factored into discussions about the bill, the lobbyist said. A telecom lobbyist questioned whether it would make sense to tie the bills together since Gardner-Hassan is likely to be more targeted at mid-band spectrum.