[Congressional Record Volume 153, Number 96 (Thursday, June 14, 2007)]
[Senate]
[Page S7742]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE:
  S. 1622. 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 recongifure 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 to once again 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 more than 200 million wireless subscribers 
in the United States alone, a subscribership that continues to grow. 
This burgeoning success makes it all the more imperative that we foster 
an environment where this technology and future wireless advancements 
can flourish and thrive.
  As we consider the myriad issues affecting this debate, we must bear 
in mind that along with mobility, convenience and safety, cell phones 
today engender countless additional benefits from access to 
information, global satellite positioning, to entertainment. While 
wireless phones have been rapidly adopted by the general public, 
wireless service faces flaws that could hinder further adoption. I can 
tell you from firsthand experience how frustrated it can be when I am 
at home in Maine when I cannot get cellular service. Something must be 
done in order to improve advance the capability of wireless service 
that people across my State and others are relying on in increasing 
numbers every day.
  We must be vigilant in safeguarding our smaller communities from 
remaining under served and strive to ensure that they are taken into 
account as the Federal Government shapes policy in response to this 
changing technological landscape. As many of my colleagues are well 
aware, wireless services, such as cell phones, handheld devices, and 
some Internet services use frequencies on the radio spectrum to 
transfer voice and data from one user to another. It is the job of the 
service provider to convert 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 because of the 
concentration of customers. This reality 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.
  But 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 billions of dollars for rights to be one of the Nation's 
most critical technological resources. The digital television 
transition is on the verge of releasing new spectrum into the 
marketplace, the much-anticipated 700 megaHertz spectrum auction. While 
I am grateful that the Federal Communications Commission has stated its 
intention to auction off the spectrum in licenses that cover both large 
and small geographic areas, without this consideration, smaller 
companies will be unable to compete in the bidding process. That is 
patently unacceptable.
  The bill I introduce today aims to address this problem by 
reiterating to the Federal Communications Commission the necessity of 
protecting smaller communities during the 700 MHz spectrum that will be 
auctioned as a result of the digital television transition. In the 
final auction rules, 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 or purview of the 
Federal Communications Commission, nor call into question its 
intentions. It merely directs the FCC to use its acumen and good 
offices 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 required tools to deploy those services.
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