Guthrie's Spectrum Bill Passes through Committee

Press Release

A bill introduced by Congressman Brett Guthrie was marked up and passed out of the House Energy and Commerce Committee today.

"This bill would encourage additional spectrum, a necessary component for the advancement of American innovation, to be made available for commercial use," said Congressman Guthrie. "It is encouraging to see a focus placed on this legislation and the underlying spectrum shortage."

H.R. 3674, the "Federal Spectrum Incentive Act" would provide financial incentives to encourage government agencies to relocate from their existing spectrum bands in order to free up additional spectrum for commercial and innovation purposes. Agencies could use these funds to accommodate relocation costs or to offset sequestration cuts.

Congressman Guthrie introduced H.R. 3674 on December 9, 2013, with bipartisan support. Congressman Guthrie and Congresswoman Doris Matsui, co-chairs of the House Energy and Commerce Committee Federal Spectrum Working Group, previously introduced H.R. 2739, the "Efficient Use of Government Spectrum Act" on July 18, 2013, which sought to reallocate and auction the 1755-1780 MHz spectrum block.

Addressing the nation's spectrum shortage is also a key tenet of Congressman Guthrie's REBUILD Act, H.R. 3355.

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