[Congressional Record Volume 151, Number 121 (Monday, September 26, 2005)]
[Senate]
[Page S10426]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE:
  S. 1767. A bill to require the Federal Communications Commission to 
reevaluate the band plans for the upper 700 megaHertz band and the un-
auctioned portions of the lower 700 megaHertz band and reconfigure them 
to include spectrum to be licensed for small geographic areas; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today with the support of many of my 
colleagues on the Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation to 
introduce legislation to encourage the deployment of next generation 
wireless services in rural areas. Cell phones have become a vital part 
of so many lives. Today, there are over 194 million wireless 
subscribers in the United States--a subscribership that continues to 
grow. I want to be sure we foster an environment where this technology 
and future wireless technologies can flourish.
  Along with mobility, convenience and safety, cell phones today also 
have benefits of information access and entertainment. While wireless 
phones have been rapidly adopted by the general public, wireless 
service is far from being without flaws. I myself become frustrated 
while home in Maine when I cannot get cell phone and blackberry 
service. Something must be done in order to improve the wireless 
services that so many people rely on.
  Wireless services, such as cell phones, wireless handheld devices and 
some Internet services utilize frequencies on the radio spectrum to 
transfer voice and data from one user to another. It is the job of the 
service provider to turn these airwaves into the valuable services that 
consumers demand. The quality of service in a given place depends on 
how much investment the service provider has put into infrastructure. 
More urban locations tend to have better service because the return on 
investment is much higher due to the concentration of customers. This 
does not mean that rural areas are left without service. Viable 
business models exist that can sustain service in these more remote 
locations. Oftentimes smaller, local wireless companies can serve these 
areas better than nationwide service providers.
  One of the greatest barriers to entry in the wireless industry is 
acquiring a spectrum license in which a service can be operated. 
Companies bid up to billions of dollars for rights to one of Nation's 
most important resources. The digital television transition will soon 
release new spectrum into the marketplace. Currently, the Federal 
Communications Commission is slated to auction off the spectrum in 
licenses that cover large geographic areas. While this may be the 
preferred size for national wireless carriers, smaller companies will 
be unable to compete in the bidding process.
  The bill I introduce today aims to address this problem by directing 
the Federal Communications Commission to reevaluate its current 
bandplan for the 700 MHz spectrum that will be auctioned as a result of 
the digital television transition. In this reevaluation, the FCC must 
divide some of the frequency allocations into smaller area licenses so 
that local and regional wireless companies can have an opportunity to 
compete in the bidding process. The proper balance of large and small 
licenses will encourage the deployment of advanced services throughout 
all parts of the United States.
  This bill is not meant to circumvent the expertise of the Federal 
Communications Commission. It merely directs the FCC to use its 
expertise to develop a plan that will benefit the entire nation. Rural 
America deserves the same benefits of wireless technologies that are 
available in urban areas. This Act gives those best able to serve 
remote areas the tools needed to deploy services.
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