Federal Spectrum Working Group Seeks Update on Government Spectrum Use

Press Release

The House Energy and Commerce Committee's bipartisan Federal Spectrum Working Group today sent a letter to the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to examine government spectrum use.

The Working Group wrote, "Throughout the 112th Congress, the Subcommittee on Communications and Technology has focused on freeing more spectrum, most notably in the bipartisan spectrum provisions of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. Making additional spectrum available for commercial use will help meet the growing demand for mobile broadband services, fuel the investment that has made the United States the world leader in wireless innovation, and create jobs.

"The U.S. government is the single largest spectrum user in the country. Finding more efficient ways for the government to use this valuable public asset without compromising critical objectives would not only produce dividends for government agencies, but also inject additional resources into the private sector to spur our economy." The members requested NTIA specify the number of spectrum authorizations each federal user held in 2011 and the amount of spectrum assigned to each federal user. Read the full text of the letter here.

The Federal Spectrum Working Group was created by Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden and Ranking Member Anna Eshoo to examine how the federal government can use the nation's airwaves more efficiently. The bipartisan working group is chaired by Reps. Brett Guthrie and Doris Matsui, and Reps. Shimkus, Rogers, Scalise, DeGette, Barrow and Christensen serve as members. Chairman Walden and Ranking Member Eshoo serve as ex officio members.