Matsui Floats Draft Win 5G Act; Lawmakers Refile Spectrum Now Act
Top Senate Communications Subcommittee and the Congressional Spectrum Caucus members floated a pair of 5G-centric spectrum bills Tuesday and Wednesday. House Communications Subcommittee Vice Chair and CSC Co-Chair Doris Matsui, D-Calif., released her C-band-centric draft Wireless Investment Now in (Win)…
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5G Act Wednesday, as expected (see 1904230069). The measure would set up a tiered system for satellites companies to benefit from an FCC-administered auction of spectrum in the 3.7-4.2 GHz band in which freeing up additional spectrum would increase satellite companies share. Satellite companies would receive none of the auction proceeds if they clear less than 100 MHz on the band, 10 percent for 100-199 MHz, 35 percent for 200-299 MHz, 75 percent for 300-399 MHz, 90 percent for 400-499 MHz and 100 percent if they clear all 500 MHz. The Win 5G Act draft doesn't allow additional funding to relocate C-band users off sold spectrum but does allow auction proceeds to be shared with earth station operators. Any proceeds not allocated to satellite operators or earth station operators would go to a new Rural Broadband Deployment Fund. Matsui and three other lawmakers refiled Tuesday the Supplementing the Pipeline for Efficient Control of the Resources for Users Making New Opportunities for Wireless (Spectrum Now) Act. The bill, first filed last year (see 1806060060), would require a plan for repurposing the 3450-3550 MHz band before an expected auction next year. It would require NTIA to consult with the FCC on whether bands can be made available on an unlicensed basis if they can't be auctioned. It would also give federal agencies additional flexibility in using money from the spectrum relocation fund to subsidize spectrum research and development. Agencies would be allowed to get more funding than they otherwise could. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Roger Wicker, R-Miss., and Senate Communications ranking member Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, led the Senate version. Matsui and fellow CSC Co-Chair Rep. Brett Guthrie, R-Ky., led the House one.