Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010

Bill: 111-s-3490
Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA]
Introduced: 2010-06-15 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Broadcasting, cable, digital technologies
Congressional oversight
Government information and archives
Government trust funds
Judicial review and appeals
Licensing and registrations

Summary:
action_date: 2010-06-15
text: 
Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010 - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to post on its website detailed transition plans from each federal entity that is eligible for payments from the Spectrum Relocation Fund for costs related to the reallocation of frequencies from federal to nonfederal use. Requires the federal entities, to the fullest extent possible, to provide for sharing and coordination of eligible frequencies with commercial licensees. 
 
Requires federal entities to complete spectrum relocation within one year of receiving relocation payments.

action_date: 2010-12-14
text: 
Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010 - (Sec. 2) Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to post on its website detailed transition plans from each federal entity that is eligible for payments from the Spectrum Relocation Fund (Fund) for costs related to the reallocation of frequencies from federal to nonfederal use. 
 
Requires each federal entity's transition plan to provide certain public information about its spectrum relocation requirements including its: (1) current spectrum use; (2) geographic location of facilities or systems; (3) frequency bands used; (4) steps to be taken to relocate current spectrum uses from eligible frequencies; (5) necessary NTIA interactions; (6) authorized commercial licensee negotiator; (7) plans and timelines for equipment procurement, field-testing, and personnel hiring; and (8) relocation process risk factors.
 
Conditions a federal entity's eligibility to receive payment for relocations costs on, among other factors, an: (1) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) finding that such a federal entity complies with Fund requirements and this Act's requirements; and (2) evaluation by a three-member technical panel, of which the OMB Director, NTIA Administrator, and Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) each appoint one member.
 
Directs the FCC and the NTIA to jointly establish any necessary applicable conditions to define the term &quot;shared access,&quot; including methods of sharing spectrum resources and coordination between federal and nonfederal entities (commercial licensees, and/or sharing network infrastructure or other resources).
 
Requires the federal entities, to the fullest extent possible, to provide for sharing and coordination of eligible frequencies with commercial licensees. 
 
Requires federal entities to complete spectrum relocation within one year of receiving relocation payments. Sets forth a process for a federal entity to complete such relocation according to an approved alternative time period.
 
Establishes a dispute resolution process for a federal entity or affected commercial licensee to seek resolution of disputes over the execution, timing, or cost of a transition plan. Requires the dispute resolution board to be assisted by the technical panel. Authorizes appeals from dispute resolution board decisions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
 
(Sec. 3) Requires the Comptroller General to submit to Congress a study regarding the spectrum management capabilities of the NTIA and other federal agencies, including an analysis of expected funding needs and coordination of existing federal resources, by agency, to prepare for any future relocation or sharing of currently utilized spectrum.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2010-12-14
text: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 696.
action_date: 2010-12-14
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Rockefeller with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2010-12-14
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Rockefeller with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.
action_date: 2010-07-22
text: Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.
action_date: 2010-06-15
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2010-06-15
text: Introduced in Senate