Spectrum Measurement and Policy Reform Act
Latest action. Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
Spectrum Measurement and Policy Reform Act - Directs the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to conduct a study of occupancy on the electromagnetic spectrum (between, at least, 100 megahertz and 10 gigahertz) based on the extent of the use of such spectrum, including the amount and percentage of spectrum used in the band and the duration and percentage of time such spectrum is in use.
Directs the FCC and the Administration to determine appropriate benchmarks for assessing: (1) the utilization of each electromagnetic spectrum band; and (2) the availability of services operating in other bands capable of offering substitutable services.
Directs the FCC and the Administration to identify specified close proximity electromagnetic spectrum most feasible for: (1) spectrum sharing opportunities for commercial and government users; (2) spectrum reuse opportunities for commercial and government users; (3) temporary or dynamic short-term assignment and use; and (4) spectrum layering opportunities for commercial and government users.
Directs the FCC and the Administration to: (1) implement pilot programs to promote spectrum sharing and reuse activities for such identified spectrum bands; (2) perform a cost-benefit analysis on electromagnetic spectrum relocation opportunities to move certain federal users and services currently operating in a specific band of the spectrum to more efficient spectrum bands; and (3) establish the Spectrum Advisory Committee.
Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to authorize the Secretary of Commerce to: (1) withhold or refuse to assign frequencies for mobile radio service or other radio service; (2) assess from each federal user an annual fee for the assigned spectrum that is based on the spectrum's fair market commercial value; and (3) develop an auction revenue sharing plan where, in exchange for relinquishing spectrum usage rights, certain federal users currently operating in an assigned spectrum band would receive as an auction incentive award a percentage of the auction revenue from any resulting auction.
Amends the the Communications Act of 1934 to: (1) provide that, if consistent with the public interest for a licensee to relinquish some or all of its spectrum usage rights in order to permit the assignment of new initial licenses or the allocation of spectrum for unlicensed use, the proceeds from the use of a competitive bidding system may be shared with any licensee who agreed to relinquish such usage rights; and (2) authorize the FCC to assess from each spectrum licensee an annual fee based on the fair market commercial value of that spectrum and the public interest of the service the spectrum is being used for.
The summary continues for 1 more paragraph. Read it in full on Congress.gov
Written by analysts at the Congressional Research Service and published on Congress.gov, not by Civibrief. Summarized at the "Introduced in Senate" stage on July 19, 2010. It describes the bill, it is not the legal text.
Where is it in the process, and what happens next?
4 steps remain before this bill could become law.
The record's latest action, on July 19, 2010: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
- Clearing the committees it was referred to, and being scheduled for a floor vote
- Passage by the Senate
- Passage by the House
- The President's signature. If the President vetoes it, two-thirds of both chambers must vote to override.
How likely is it to become law?
Civibrief does not forecast outcomes and this page has no opinion about this one. What the record supports is a base rate, which is a fact about the whole pile, not a prediction about this measure.
In the 111th Congress (2009-10), 383 of the 10,778 bills and joint resolutions introduced became law, about 3.6 percent. That count covers every measure at every stage, including the many that never left committee.
This one is not there yet: 4 steps are still outstanding, listed above.
Has anyone actually voted on it?
No. No roll call in this Congress cites this measure. That is the ordinary outcome: most measures never reach a recorded floor vote, and a committee ends most of them simply by not acting.
A vote is not the only thing that happens to a measure. Hearings, markups, and referrals are all recorded actions, and none of them is a vote of the full chamber.
Who is behind it?
Olympia Snowe (R-ME) introduced it on July 19, 2010, and 1 member has since signed on as a cosponsor.
They are 1 Democrat.
Cosponsoring is a formal signature on the text. It is not a commitment to vote for the measure, it does not bind anyone's party, and a long list of cosponsors is a measure of attention rather than of prospects.
How long has it been in play?
It was introduced on July 19, 2010, 5944 days ago. The most recent recorded action was 5944 days ago, on July 19, 2010.
Measures do not carry over. Anything the 111th Congress has not finished by January 3, 2011 dies when the term ends, and has to be introduced again from the start in the next Congress.
Every answer above is assembled from this measure's own record on Congress.gov and from published counts of what Congress has passed before. Civibrief does not predict outcomes and takes no position on any measure.
Vote history
- SenateIn committee, no floor vote yet
- HouseAwaits Senate passage
- PresidentAwaits both chambers