House debates NG911-funding bill, postpones vote

U.S. House members yesterday expressed support for legislation that would provide as much as $10 billion in federal funding to pay for a transition to IP-based next-generation 911 technology—as well as extend the FCC’s authority to conduct spectrum auctions—but postponed a vote on the bill.

Approved unanimously by the House Committee on Energy and Commerce two weeks ago, H.R. 7624—the “Spectrum Innovation Act”—received only bipartisan endorsements from lawmakers who spoke about the legislation during about 15 minutes of “debate” about the bill yesterday afternoon on the House floor. Barring a shocking turn, the bill is expected to be approved formally by the House, so it can be considered by the Senate.

H.R. 7624 includes language that would extend the FCC’s authority to conduct spectrum auctions for 18 months beyond the current expiration date of Sept. 30. Given the importance of spectrum auctions to the U.S. economy and Congressional finances, extending the FCC’s auction authority by Oct. 1 is considered to be a “must-pass” item, according to Beltway sources.

Also included in H.R. 7624 is language that would require the FCC to auction at least 200 MHz of spectrum in the 3.1-3.45 GHz band. Proceeds from this auction would fill the funding gap in the “rip-and-replace” initiative to rid U.S. networks of gear from China-based firms and would provide NG911 funding nationwide.

But the $10 billion for NG911 would not fully guaranteed, even if the bill is approved by the House, the Senate and President Joe Biden. That’s because the NG911 funding is dependent upon the amount of money bidders spend to secure airwaves in the proposed 3.1-3.45 GHz spectrum auction.

As approved by a House subcommittee in June, the FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) would have two years to identify at least 200 MHz of current federal spectrum in the 3.1-3.4 GHz band that the FCC could auction as exclusive or shared-use airwaves. The FCC would be required to conduct the auction within seven years of enactment of H.R. 7624.

Proceeds from the auction first would be used to pay relocation costs for spectrum incumbents, with the next $3.4 billion allocated to fund the massive shortfall in the FCC’s “rip and replace” program that is designed to rid U.S. commercial networks of “untrusted” equipment—notably, gear from China-based vendors Huawei and ZTE.

After these financial obligations are met, the next $10 billion in proceeds from the proposed mid-band auction would be dedicated to funding the NG911 transition at 911 centers throughout the U.S. Of course, this $10 billion in funding could be realized only if the winning bids from the auction were great enough to support all financial obligations cited in the legislation.

This notion of tying FCC auction revenue to NG911 funding was an idea proposed publicly by FCC Chairwoman Jessica Rosenworcel in February.

Federal funds of $10 billion for NG911 would dwarf all other federal money that has been earmarked previously for 911, which historically has been funded almost entirely with money generated at the state and local levels. However, the $10 billion called for in the bill passed by the committee is significantly less than the $15 billion hat many public-safety officials believe is needed for NG911 implementation, particularly when cybersecurity and training needs are considered.