Jan 13, 2006 12:59 PM, By Donny Jackson

Final passage of the budget-reduction legislation that includes provisions for clearing the 700 MHz band will occur on Feb. 1, a key House representative said in a recent media report.

Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) said that the house simply will approve the package passed by the Senate in December, according to a Technology Daily article. That measure includes a February 2009 date for TV broadcasters to stop using the 700 MHz band and earmarks $1 billion in auction proceeds for public-safety interoperability funding.

Some Capitol Hill sources have expressed concern that the House might try to reintroduce a controversial Alaska oil-drilling provision to Senate’s budget package, which derail the legislation. However, an aide for Sen. Ted Stevens (R-Alaska)—one of the biggest proponents for the oil-drilling effort in his state—expressed doubt that anyone in the House would raise the issue.

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