A fresh House bill to reallocate the 700 MHz D-block to public safety has the support of House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter King, R-N.Y. Rep. Steve Rothman, D-N.J., who serves on the Appropriations Committees, on Tuesday introduced the Help Emergency Responders Operate Emergency Systems (HEROES) Act. Using proceeds from spectrum auctions, the bill would provide $5.5 billion for construction, maintenance and operation of the national public safety network and $400 million to set up a grant program to help first responders upgrade their radios to comply with the FCC’s 2004 narrowband mandate.
Parts of the jobs bill’s spectrum provisions are being given by analysts, lobbyists and others at least a fighting chance of being enacted by Congress in coming months. Observers agree that spectrum fees called for in the White House-proposed legislation face a tough fight. While giving the FCC authority to hold incentive auctions has broad support on the Hill, many Republicans continue to oppose a proposal in the jobs bill giving public safety the 700 MHz D-block in addition to the 700 MHz spectrum it already has.
Sen. Mark Warner, D-Va., would like to see spectrum auctions among recommendations made by the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, a Warner spokesman told us. Warner and 35 other Democratic and GOP senators on Thursday urged the super committee to “go big” and find more than the $1.5 trillion required by the August debt ceiling legislation. The 36 senators believe “a reasonable target is at least $4 trillion, including previously enacted deficit measures,” they said in a statement submitted to the super committee. Warner is a Commerce Committee member and was one of the “gang of six” senators who earlier this summer had a debt ceiling plan that was not adopted.
The Minority Media and Telecom Council extended its push for legislation (CD Sept 9 p9) to bring back tax certificates for companies selling communications properties to minorities and others. “To get movement on a tax certificate, the White House will need to go to Congress,” the group recounted telling FCC Commissioner Mignon Clyburn. “As the expert agency, the FCC should support this as part of its legislative recommendations. The Commission could coordinate with the White House to explain how a tax certificate could make a significant impact on diversity in content and ownership by including it in legislation to incentivize broadcasters to participate in spectrum auctions. An updated version of the policy could address previous concerns by being race neutral, encompassing media and telecom, and capping the deal size and overall program size.” A filing on the meeting was posted Monday to docket 09-182 (http://xrl.us/bmdany). Using a tax certificate, a seller of a broadcast property could use the sale proceeds to buy another station or reduce the basis in depreciable property, before Congress rescinded it.
Rick Kaplan, chief of the FCC Wireless Bureau, said that as it moves on spectrum legislation, Congress should give the FCC maximum flexibility to act. The remarks came during a panel Tuesday sponsored by the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Speakers disagreed sharply about whether Congress is playing a helpful role as it considers legislation giving the FCC authority to hold voluntary incentive auctions for broadcast and other spectrum, as proposed last year in the FCC’s National Broadband Plan. This week, the administration proposed incentive auctions as part of the spectrum provisions in its Jobs Bill (CD Sept 13 p1).
The House Commerce Committee may have a series of staff-level meetings from Sept. 19 to Oct. 14 to formulate recommendations for the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, a Democratic House staffer and two telecom industry officials told us Monday. It may also have two to three public hearings on the subject, an industry lobbyist said. A spokeswoman for the House Commerce Committee majority denied any staff meetings or public hearings specific to the Joint Select Committee were planned. The staff meetings are expected to include majority and minority committee staff, a telecom industry official said. The exact schedule doesn’t appear to be set, the House staffer said. Congressional committees are required to submit recommendations to the so-called supercommittee by Oct. 14. “I expect every committee to go through a process where they consider what deficit reduction recommendations they might want to forward to the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction for consideration,” said David Taylor, managing partner of Capitol Solutions. Spectrum auctions are expected to be considered by the supercommittee because auctions generate revenue without the same controversy as other methods like raising taxes. Supercommittee members Sens. John Kerry, D-Mass., and Pat Toomey, R-Pa., have said spectrum could be part of the discussion (CD Sept 9 p10). Spectrum is also part of President Barack Obama’s jobs bill (CD Sept 12 p1), released late Monday.
Public safety would get the 700 MHz D-block, under the proposed American Jobs Act released late Monday by President Barack Obama. The legislation also authorizes several spectrum auctions to fund the network. Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller, D-W.Va., praised the bill for including proposals similar to his proposed Spectrum Act (S-911).
The 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks was expected to pass Sunday without congressional action on a public safety broadband network, despite the best efforts of first responders nationwide. The good news for public safety is that the administration took another shot at pushing the network, along with incentive auctions, in its $447 billion jobs plan, unveiled by President Barack Obama Thursday night during an address to Congress. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., a member of Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction, said Thursday be expects spectrum to be part of the debate as the group starts what is expected to be a long, contentious debate (CD Sept 9 p10).
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., said spectrum auctions could be on the table as the Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction looks this fall for at least $1.5 trillion in savings over 10 years. Kerry is a member of the super committee and also chairs the Senate Communications Subcommittee. Spectrum is “one of the possible options,” Kerry told us after the committee’s organizational meeting Thursday: “I think we look at everything.” House Commerce Committee Chairman Fred Upton, R-Mich., another super committee member, declined to say whether the body should consider spectrum because he didn’t “want to get into any details yet.” During the meeting, super committee members stressed the need to overcome divisive politics and find at minimum $1.5 trillion. Rep. Jeb Hensarling, R-Texas, co-chair of the committee, said there would be several public hearings, but some of the work would happen behind closed doors. The super committee will provide “ample public notice” before submitting its final package, he said. While the package isn’t due until Nov. 24, Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz., said the super committee probably would need to be finished by the end of October to give the Congressional Budget Office time to review the package and to satisfy public notice requirements. He predicted “tedious, time-consuming work” in the days ahead. In other super committee news, House Commerce Committee aide Michael Bloomquist will be the body’s general counsel, Hill and industry officials said. Bloomquist was deputy general counsel for Upton, and was a partner at Wiley Rein.
The Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction scheduled two public meetings and made another staff announcement. The so-called “super committee” is expected to look at spectrum auctions as it seeks $1.2 trillion to $1.5 trillion in savings for legislation due this Thanksgiving. The committee will have an organizational meeting Thursday at 10:30 a.m. in Room 2123, Rayburn House Office Building, the committee said Tuesday. Next week, the body will have its first hearing, titled “The History and Drivers of Our Nation’s Debt and Its Threats.” The hearing is scheduled for Sept. 13 at 10:30 a.m. in Room 216, Hart Senate Office Building. The super committee on Tuesday also announced that Sarah Kuehl will be its deputy staff director. Kuehl currently is a senior budget analyst for the Senate Budget Committee majority staff, and does not appear to have worked on telecom issues. Last week, the Joint Select Committee said Mark Prater will be its staff director (CD Aug 31 p6).