H.R. 911 (112th): Spectrum Inventory and Auction Act of 2011

Introduced:
Mar 03, 2011 (112th Congress, 2011–2013)
Sponsor:
Rep. John Barrow [D-GA12]
Status:
Died (Referred to Committee)

The bill’s title was written by the bill’s sponsor. H.R. stands for House of Representatives bill.

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Status

This bill was introduced on March 3, 2011, in a previous session of Congress, but was not enacted.

Progress
Introduced Mar 03, 2011
Referred to Committee Mar 03, 2011
Cosponsors
4 cosponsors (4D) (show)
Committees

House Energy and Commerce

The committee chair determines whether a bill will move past the committee stage.

Full Title

To require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission to conduct an inventory of broadband spectrum, to authorize the Commission, contingent on the completion of such inventory, to conduct auctions of voluntarily relinquished spectrum usage rights and to share the revenues with the licensees who relinquished such rights, and for other purposes.

Summary

No summaries available.

Text

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Last updated Mar 03, 2011.
12 pages

Primary Source

View on THOMAS (The Library of Congress)

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GovTrack’s Bill Summary

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Library of Congress Summary

The summary below was written by the Congressional Research Service, which is a nonpartisan division of the Library of Congress.

3/3/2011--Introduced.
Spectrum Inventory and Auction Act of 2011 - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to require the Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information at the Department of Commerce and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to:
(1) inventory, at least semiannually, each broadband radio spectrum band of frequencies listed in the U.S. Table of Frequency Allocations, including the identity of each federal or non-federal user within each radio service authorized to operate in each band of frequencies, the activities and capabilities (whether space-, air-, or ground-based) supported by transmitters and other radio frequency devices, the total amount of spectrum and geographic coverage areas assigned or licensed to each user, and other specified information; and
(2) make the inventory available to the public on an Internet website.
Directs the Assistant Secretary and the FCC to submit to Congress a biennial report containing a recommendation of which bands of inventoried frequencies, if any, should be reallocated or made available for shared access.
Sets forth exceptions for federal agencies to withhold certain national security information.
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to provide that, if the FCC determines that it is consistent with the public interest in spectrum utilization (after a report of the initial inventory is submitted to Congress and made available on the Internet) for a licensee to voluntarily relinquish licensed spectrum usage rights to permit the assignment of new initial licenses or the allocation of spectrum for unlicensed use subject to new service rules, the proceeds from granting such rights to another licensee under an appropriate competitive bidding system must be shared, in a more than de minimis amount that the FCC considers appropriate, with the licensee who voluntarily relinquished such rights.
Directs the FCC to establish rules for such voluntary incentive auction revenue sharing.
Prohibits the FCC from reclaiming frequencies of any licensees on an involuntary basis for certain licensing purposes.
Extends the FCC's authority to grant a license or permit under the applicable competitive bidding provisions to September 30, 2020.

House Republican Conference Summary

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No summary available.

House Democratic Caucus Summary

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The bill contains the following citations to other parts of U.S. law:

United States Code

The United States Code is the compilation of permanent laws enacted by Congress. Temporary and other non-permanent laws do not appear in the United States Code. (About half of the United States Code is the law itself, called positive law. The other half is merely a compilation of the laws but has no legal significance.)

  • Title 5: GOVERNMENT ORGANIZATION AND EMPLOYEES
  • Part I: THE AGENCIES GENERALLY
  • Chapter 1: ORGANIZATION
  • Section 105: Executive agency
  • Title 47: TELECOMMUNICATIONS
  • Chapter 5: WIRE OR RADIO COMMUNICATION
  • Subchapter III: SPECIAL PROVISIONS RELATING TO RADIO
  • Part I: General Provisions
  • Section 309: Application for license
  • Chapter 8: NATIONAL TELECOMMUNICATIONS AND INFORMATION ADMINISTRATION
  • Subchapter II: TRANSFER OF AUCTIONABLE FREQUENCIES
  • Section 921: Definitions