Latta Hoping for Auction Authority in Reconciliation
Video of Latta's speech also available on Broadband Breakfast.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 16, 2024 – Rep. Bob Latta, R-Ohio, said Thursday he hoped the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction off spectrum could be restored in a budget reconciliation bill next year.
Latta chairs the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, which deals with telecom issues. It’s part of the House Energy and Commerce Committee, which Latta said is “going to play a large part in” a reconciliation bill.
Budget reconciliations allow lawmakers to bypass the Senate’s filibuster and move spending bills with a bare majority. NBC News reported last week that incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-ND, was in favor of two separate packages over the course of next year.
The agency’s spectrum auction authority has been lapsed since March 2023, when it expired amid concerns over whether the Defense Department could relinquish airwaves sought after by the mobile carriers. The federal government is currently reviewing nearly 2,800 megahertz of federal spectrum for potential repurposing.
A provision in a major defense spending bill would allow the agency to auction spectrum in a single band, one that was already auction off but ultimately returned to the FCC after a legal fight with Dish.
"That authority, it's so important to us to make sure we get it done," he said.
Latta also said broadband access was essential for businesses in his district looking to sell products online.
“When was the last time anybody used Yellow Pages in the last five years? Anybody?” he asked rhetorically.
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