Sen. Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., “compromised” on governance in negotiations with the House on spectrum legislation, the...

senators’ weekly policy lunch. Rockefeller’s original spectrum bill, S-911, proposed setting up a federal entity called the Public Safety Broadband Network Corp. to govern the network. The corporation would have included federal, state, local, tribal, public safety and private sector members. Meanwhile, the House GOP bill had proposed a state-by-state approach involving a third-party administrator. The House-Senate conference on the payroll tax cut extension is expected to include spectrum auctions as a pay-for provision in the bill due by month’s end. Staffers from the House and Senate Commerce committees are separately negotiating the spectrum piece (CD Feb 7 p9). While not a conferee, Rockefeller has signaled he’s willing to compromise on the spectrum bill as long as the end result is a national network for public safety, a Commerce Committee spokesperson said. The House Commerce Committee didn’t respond to a request for comment. Committee Democrat Doris Matsui of California said she hopes “that any final deal will have a strong governance structure in place.” Matsui didn’t comment specifically on the NTIA approach cited by Rockefeller, but warned that “the lack of a strong governance structure could threaten the achievability of a nationwide public safety network.”