A U.S. House of Representatives subcommittee unanimously approved an amendment that calls for up to $10 billion in proceeds from a future auction of 3.1-3.45 GHz spectrum to be used to support Next-Generation 911 (NG911) deployments.
The amendment passed the House Subcommittee on Communications and Technology with a 29-0 vote; it would still have to pass the larger House, the Senate and be signed by the president in order to The measure also includes a process for identifying at least 200 megahertz of spectrum in that lower 3 GHz range that could be freed up for “exclusive or shared use,” according to remarks by Energy and Commerce Chairman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), and it requires that spectrum to be auctioned within seven years. Among other committee actions underway is an extension of the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction U.S. spectrum.
