[Congressional Bills 114th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 417 Introduced in Senate (IS)]

114th CONGRESS
  1st Session
                                 S. 417

 To encourage spectrum licensees to make unused spectrum available for 
use by rural and smaller carriers in order to expand wireless coverage.


_______________________________________________________________________


                   IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

                            February 9, 2015

 Ms. Klobuchar (for herself and Mrs. Fischer) introduced the following 
 bill; which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, 
                      Science, and Transportation

_______________________________________________________________________

                                 A BILL


 
 To encourage spectrum licensees to make unused spectrum available for 
use by rural and smaller carriers in order to expand wireless coverage.

    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 ``Rural Spectrum Accessibility Act of 
2015''.

SEC. 2. EXTENSION OF LICENSES.

    Section 307 of the Communications Act of 1934 (47 U.S.C. 307) is 
amended by adding at the end the following:
    ``(g) Extension of Licenses.--
            ``(1) Definitions.--
                    ``(A) In general.--For purposes of this 
                subsection--
                            ``(i) the term `rural area' means any area 
                        other than--
                                    ``(I) an area described in clause 
                                (i) or (ii) of section 343(a)(13)(A) of 
                                the Consolidated Farm and Rural 
                                Development Act (7 U.S.C. 
                                1991(a)(13)(A)); and
                                    ``(II) a city, town, or 
                                incorporated area that has a population 
                                of greater than 20,000 inhabitants; and
                            ``(ii) the term `small carrier' means a 
                        carrier with not more than 1,500 employees.
                    ``(B) Calculation of number of employees.--For 
                purposes of subparagraph (A)(ii), the number of 
                employees of a carrier shall be determined in 
                accordance with section 121.106 of title 13, Code of 
                Federal Regulations, or any successor thereto.
            ``(2) Establishment of program.--Not later than 90 days 
        after the date of enactment of Rural Spectrum Accessibility Act 
        of 2015, the Commission shall establish a program under which a 
        carrier that receives a license under this section may 
        partition or disaggregate the license in order to make unused 
        spectrum available to small carriers or carriers serving a 
        rural area.
            ``(3) Extension of license term.--Any carrier that receives 
        a license under this section and participates in the program 
        established under paragraph (2) shall receive a 3-year 
        extension of the license granted under this section.''.
                                 <all>