Spectrum Coordination Act
Floor Speech
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 2501) to require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission to update the memorandum of understanding on spectrum coordination, as amended.
The Clerk read the title of the bill.
The text of the bill is as follows: H.R. 2501
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Spectrum Coordination Act''. SEC. 2. UPDATE OF MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING ON SPECTRUM COORDINATION BETWEEN NTIA AND FCC.
Not later than December 31, 2022, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission shall update the Memorandum of Understanding on Spectrum Coordination entered into in January 2003, to--
(1) improve upon the process for resolving frequency allocation disputes in shared or adjacent allocations between the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission to ensure that such disputes are definitively resolved in an efficient and timely manner;
(2) ensure that spectrum is used efficiently; and
(3) establish reasonable timelines for the exchange of information between the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission in order to maintain effective spectrum coordination and collaboration.
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Mr. PALLONE. 2501.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.
Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2501, the Spectrum Coordination Act.
Our country's airways are foundational to next-generation wireless networks. These networks offer so much promise to better our lives, as they can promote enhanced telehealth services and educational opportunities and offer new ways of engaging in entertainment and e- commerce. These networks can also help propel advancements in manufacturing and enhance critical public safety communications to save lives.
But to achieve these important objectives, our airwaves must be managed competently and correctly. Unfortunately, in recent years, our country has not hit this mark. Instead, the two agencies charged by Congress to manage the public's airwaves, the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, or NTIA, have often bickered and refused to coordinate their efforts.
I am pleased to see that with new leadership over the last year, the FCC and NTIA have begun to make some headway towards ensuring the Federal Government once again speaks with one voice in overseeing our airwaves.
H.R. 2501 helps advance the ball even further. This legislation requires the FCC and NTIA to update their memorandum of understanding on spectrum coordination by the end of this year. The last time this MOU was updated was in 2003, and much has changed since then. An updated MOU will reaffirm the commitment of these two agencies to provide and allocate our airwaves in a way that best serves consumers, commercial carriers, and Federal agencies in the days and months to come.
Over the past several years, the Energy and Commerce Committee has worked on a bipartisan basis on several important telecommunications matters. I want to commend Subcommittee Chairman Doyle and Representative Bilirakis for continuing this tradition through their leadership and bipartisan work in advancing this bill out of the committee. I hope the Senate can follow suit soon.
Madam Speaker, I urge my colleagues to likewise support the Spectrum Coordination Act in a bipartisan manner, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I have no additional speakers, and I reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.
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Mr. PALLONE. Madam Speaker, I would ask bipartisan support for this bill, which will continue the objective of trying to coordinate better between the two agencies, the FCC and the NTIA.
Madam Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.
Ms. JACKSON LEE. Madam Speaker, I rise in strong support of H.R. 2501, the ``Spectrum Coordination Act'' which requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal Communications Commission to update the Memorandum of Understanding on Spectrum Coordination to improve the process for resolving frequency allocation disputes in shared or adjacent spectrum bands and ensure the efficient use or sharing of spectrum.
The memorandum of understanding formalizes the cooperative relationship between the two agencies to ensure that spectrum policy decisions promote efficient use of spectrum consistent with both the economic interests and national security of the Nation.
Spectrum encompasses a variety of communications, from extremely low frequencies which are used by military submarines to communicate with one another, to extremely high frequencies which allow all of us to use Wi-Fi in our homes and at work.
Spectrum is also critical for air travel, one of the most important industries in the United States and the world. It provides pilots and air traffic controllers the ability to communicate from surface to air, ensuring passenger safety and scheduled arrival at their destinations.
In terms of domestic national security, spectrum is crucial in saving lives. Due to the devastating effects of climate change, we are seeing natural disasters that are more devastating than ever before. The effects of these disasters demand an equally significant response from our first responders, from local police all the way to FEMA.
Thanks to the manipulability of spectrum, we have created dedicated interoperable frequencies for first responders, allowing them to effectively communicate with their counterparts and save more lives.
Madam Speaker, properly designating jurisdiction of spectrum or radio wave oversight is critical in maintaining this country's economic prosperity and national security.
Our society is increasingly relying on technology, and therefore spectrum, every day.
We must update this memorandum to accurately assess and subsequently assign jurisdiction based on the technological advances we have made since the memorandum's last update in 2003.
Since 2003, the Internet has transitioned from a luxury to a commodity, smart phones are mandatory to be able to fully participate in society, and threats to national security have evolved in ways we never thought possible.
In addition, spectrum allocation will even be increasingly important in the distant future.
Astronomers use specialized devices to read radio waves emitted from outer space, allowing us to learn more about the universe and its origins. Just last week The South African Radio Astronomy Observatory released a new image of what it called astronomy's newest mystery: the Odd Radio Circle or ORC.
Astronomers have spotted only a handful of ORCs. They're huge, about a million light-years across which is 16 times bigger than our Milky Way galaxy. Despite this, the ORCs are hard to see. They're visible only at radio wavelengths.
Right now, we don't know what ORCs are or what causes them, but one day we will. The case could be made that when we do know more, it will be objectively critical knowledge because humans are explorers, and space is our next frontier.
Space is the next place we will go, and maybe not in this generation nor the one after that, but one day we will go. Humans will need all the information they can get while exploring the unknown, and all of it will be thanks to radio waves and those who read them and understood them. Their importance truly cannot be understated.
Madam Speaker, I firmly believe these factors make updating this memorandum of the utmost necessity, so I am proud to support the ``Spectrum Coordination Act'' and urge my colleagues to as well.
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