Wireless Innovation Act of 2014

Bill: 113-s-2473
Sponsor: Sen. Rubio, Marco [R-FL]
Introduced: 2014-06-12 in the Senate
Policy area: Science, Technology, Communications
Subjects: Administrative law and regulatory procedures
Congressional oversight
Economic performance and conditions
Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Government studies and investigations
Internet and video services
Internet, web applications, social media
Licensing and registrations
Public contracts and procurement
Research administration and funding
Research and development
Technology assessment
Telephone and wireless communication

Summary:
action_date: 2014-06-12
text: 
Wireless Innovation Act of 2014 - Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to require the Secretary of Commerce to report to the President and Congress with recommendations to reallocate a span of at least 200 megahertz of spectrum, located below 5 gigahertz, from federal government use to: (1) commercial use on an exclusive, licensed basis; (2) unlicensed use to protect licensed services from harmful interference; and (3) shared use between federal government stations and non-federal stations. 
 
 Requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to begin auctioning specified amounts of such spectrum beginning not later than December 31, 2018, and to continue such auctions at 18-month intervals according to a staggered schedule. 
 
Authorizes the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to use a percentage of the proceeds from the first auction to pay federal entities to: (1) conduct feasibility analyses regarding the potential future reallocation of additional spectrum from federal use to exclusive non-federal use or shared use; and (2) develop efficiency guidelines to increase the flexibility of federal spectrum-dependent systems through multiple-band tuning capabilities, the use of commercial systems, and public-private partnerships. 
 
Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to establish a presumption under which an application to the FCC for the transfer of a construction permit or station license is deemed to be in the public interest, convenient, and necessary, unless the FCC acts to deny the application, if the application does not: (1) involve a broadcast, common carrier, aeronautical en route, or aeronautical fixed radio station license that is prohibited from being granted to or held by an alien or foreign corporation; (2) require a premerger notification and waiting period under the Clayton Act; and (3) concern a merger, acquisition, or takeover subject to review under the Defense Production Act of 1950. 
 
Requires applications qualifying for such presumption to be granted within 90 days after the FCC issues a public notice of the application. 
 
Directs federal agencies seeking a new or modified frequency assignment for a mobile or other radio service to submit to the Secretary and the OMB a report analyzing whether the federal agency could instead use commercial services, use an existing or already planned federal service, share with another federal agency, use unlicensed spectrum, or lease from commercial providers. 
 
Directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the OMB to incorporate spectrum efficiency guidelines into budget and procurement processes.
 
Requires NTIA to develop a framework for determining the annual economic opportunity cost of each specific federal spectrum band allocated for federal entities, with the value determined as if such spectrum were to be reallocated on a licensed basis to the highest commercial alternative use that currently does not have access to that spectrum. 
 
Requires federal entities assigned or allocated use of federal spectrum to: (1) report the opportunity cost of spectrum bands in budgets and annual financial statements; and (2) compare, every five years, the entity's spectrum opportunity cost to the projected costs of relocating, co-locating, leasing, or contracting out for spectrum activities.


Legislative actions:
action_date: 2014-06-12
text: Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
action_date: 2014-06-12
text: Introduced in Senate