Airwaves Act Refiling Possibly Delayed 'Indefinitely,' New Street Research Says
Reintroduction of the Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (Airwaves) Act “appears to be delayed,” possibly “indefinitely,” New Street Research's Vivek Stalam emailed investors Tuesday. The bill, previously filed during the last Congress, aims to identify…
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spectrum for unlicensed use and free up mid-band spectrum for wireless industry purchase via an FCC auction (see 1802070054). Some lobbyists had pegged a possible reintroduction of the measure this week. House Communications Subcommittee Chairman Mike Doyle, D-Pa., and Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., said earlier this year they were interested in refiling the legislation (see 1902120057). A delay in reintroduction would be a “mild positive” for the C-Band Alliance and member companies Intelsat and SES, Stalam said. One of the bill's “key provisions would reportedly call for an FCC auction, not a CBA-run auction or sale” of C-band spectrum. The act was likely to face difficult prospects for “passage, but whether it passed or not would provide a signal of Congress’s preference to the FCC,” Stalam said. “Absent a signal from Congress to the contrary, it is easier for the FCC to justify a CBA-run process. We will be on the lookout for any signs that Congress will be seeking to influence the FCC C-Band process via other means (like via a letter or hearing on the matter).” Spokespersons for Doyle and Gardner didn't comment.