Republican opposition leads to further delay for FCC spectrum bill

“Right now we’re in this stuck spot, where we’ve reached a point where there just isn’t large chunks of spectrum available that can easily be moved around,” said Jonathan Cannon, a policy counsel in technology and innovation at the conservative R Street Institute. “A lot of the spectrum out there that especially the commercial users are hoping to utilize are currently utilized by DOD…”

Last week, Cantwell and the DOD agreed on changes in the bill to clarify its language around dynamic spectrum sharing, which allows multiple users on the same spectrum without interference, and on interagency coordination to ensure the government is using spectrum efficiently…

Cannon said that the agreement was a good sign for Cantwell’s bill, noting that the bill’s soft language which the DOD agreed to does not force the military to actually give up the spectrum it is holding onto.

“DOD buy-in is the only way any piece of legislation is going to move,” he said. Nothing in the bill, he said, “really pushes DOD to do anything, which I think, is why they’re supportive.”