[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 2366 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

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114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                S. 2366

To promote innovation, investment, and economic growth by accelerating 
       spectrum efficiency through a challenge prize competition.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            December 8, 2015

   Mr. Udall introduced the following bill; which was read twice and 
   referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
To promote innovation, investment, and economic growth by accelerating 
       spectrum efficiency through a challenge prize competition.

    Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the 
United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.

    This Act may be cited as the ``Spectrum Challenge Prize Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. FINDINGS.

    Congress finds the following:
            (1) The future competitiveness and global technology 
        leadership of the United States depend, in part, upon the 
        availability and efficient use of spectrum.
            (2) Dramatic improvement in spectrum efficiency would spur 
        innovation, investment, and economic growth.
            (3) Radio frequency spectrum is vital for emergency 
        communications, national security, law enforcement, aviation, 
        maritime safety, space communications, and numerous other 
        Federal functions.
            (4) Prize competitions can spur innovation in the private 
        and public sectors.

SEC. 3. DEFINITIONS.

    In this Act--
            (1) the term ``Commission'' means the Federal 
        Communications Commission;
            (2) the term ``prize competition'' means a prize 
        competition conducted by the Secretary under section 4(a); and
            (3) the term ``Secretary'' means the Secretary of Commerce.

SEC. 4. SPECTRUM CHALLENGE PRIZE.

    (a) In General.--The Secretary, acting through the Assistant 
Secretary of Commerce for Communications and Information and in 
consultation with the Under Secretary of Commerce for Standards and 
Technology, shall--
            (1) conduct prize competitions to dramatically accelerate 
        the development and commercialization of technology that 
        improves spectrum efficiency and is capable of cost-effective 
        deployment; and
            (2) define a measurable set of performance goals for 
        participants in the prize competitions to demonstrate their 
        solutions on a level playing field while making a significant 
        advancement over the current state of the art.
    (b) Authority of Secretary.--In carrying out subsection (a), the 
Secretary may--
            (1) enter into a grant, contract, cooperative agreement, or 
        other agreement with a private sector for-profit or nonprofit 
        entity to administer the prize competitions;
            (2) invite the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, 
        the Commission, the National Aeronautics and Space 
        Administration, the National Science Foundation, or any other 
        Federal agency to provide advice and assistance in the design 
        or administration of the prize competitions; and
            (3) award not more than $5,000,000, in the aggregate, to 
        the winner or winners of the prize competitions.

SEC. 5. CRITERIA.

    Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of this Act, the 
Commission shall publish a technical paper on spectrum efficiency 
providing criteria that may be used for the design of the prize 
competitions.

SEC. 6. AUTHORIZATION OF APPROPRIATIONS.

    There are authorized to be appropriated such sums as may be 
necessary to carry out this Act.
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