House Lawmakers Concerned That FCC Retains Spectrum Auction Authority

By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief

House Lawmakers this week discussed the future of wireless with industry and public policy experts. Much of the discussion centered around the immediate future of the FCC’s ability to conduct spectrum auctions. Without congressional intervention, the agency’s auction authority expires on September 30. CTIA believes Congress should expeditiously extend the FCC’s auction authority. CTIA SVP Scott Bergmann testified before the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee that since it created the authority in 1993, Congress has never let it lapse. “Last year, the FCC conducted two auctions for full-power mid-band spectrum, one for 280 MHz of C-band spectrum from 3.7-3.98 GHz, and the other for 100 MHz from 3.45-3.55 GHz,” said Bergmann. “Together, these two auctions raised over $102 billion in winning bids, and will be the backbone of wireless investment over the next few years.”  Continue Reading