[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 48 (Thursday, March 19, 2009)]
[Senate]
[Pages S3557-S3558]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. KERRY (for himself, Ms. Snowe, Mr. Nelson of Florida, and 
        Mr. Wicker):
  S. 649. A bill to require an inventory of radio spectrum bands 
managed by the National Telecommunications and Information 
Administration and the Federal Communications Commission; to the 
Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today, along with Senator Kerry, to 
introduce legislation that initiates the first step toward 
comprehensive spectrum policy reform, which is long overdue and 
paramount to achieving the long-term telecommunications needs of this 
nation. In addressing comprehensive spectrum reform, the first thing we 
must do is to have a clear understanding of how the spectrum is 
currently being utilized, which is called for by the Radio Spectrum 
Inventory Act.

[[Page S3558]]

  Specifically, the Radio Spectrum Inventory Act directs the National 
Telecommunications and Information Administration and the Federal 
Communications Commission, with assistance from the Office of Science 
and Technology, to create a comprehensive and accurate inventory of 
each spectrum band between 300 Megahertz to 3.5 Gigahertz. The 
information collected would include the licenses assigned in that band, 
the number and type of end-user devices deployed, the amount of 
deployed infrastructure, as well as any relevant unlicensed end user 
devices operating in the band. This information is fundamental to 
constructing a comprehensive framework for spectrum policy.
  The Radio Spectrum Inventory Act also provides more transparency 
related to spectrum use by creating a centralized website or portal 
that would include relevant spectrum and license information accessible 
by the public. Given that radio spectrum is a public good, we are 
obligated to provide the public more clarity and accountability on how 
it is being utilized by both federal and non-federal licensees. It 
should be noted that this bill does make certain disclosure exceptions 
for spectrum being used or reserved for national security.
  The ultimate goals this legislation sets the path towards achieving 
are to implement more efficient use of spectrum and to locate 
additional spectrum that could be auctioned and used for advanced 
communications and data services in order to meet the growing demand.
  Currently, there are more than 270 million wireless subscribers in 
the US, and consumers used more than 2.2 trillion minutes of use from 
July 2007 to June 2008--that is more than 6 billion minutes of use a 
day! While voice communications is the foundation for wireless 
services, more and more subscribers are utilizing it for broadband due 
to new emerging wireless technologies.
  More specifically, the FCC reported that from December 2005 to 
December 2007, mobile wireless high-speed subscribership grew 
nationwide by more than 1,500 percent, and added 15.6 million 
subscribers in the second half of 2007 alone. The report also shows 
that new wireless broadband subscribers accounted for 78 percent of the 
total growth in broadband during that same time.
  So it is clear this once nascent service, which was initially thought 
of as a luxury, has blossomed into a tool that millions of consumers 
and countless businesses use on a daily basis. Increased mobility, 
access, and productivity are all tangible results of wireless 
technology. It is estimated that the productivity value of all mobile 
wireless services was worth $185 billion in 2005.
  But with all this growth, we are seeing constraints--spectrum is 
already a scarce resource--there is no new spectrum to allocate, only 
redistribute. This problem is also compounded by issues such as 
Shannon's Law, which defines the maximum possible data speed that can 
be obtained in a data channel of a communications network. So with 
wireless, in order to achieve greater bandwidth speeds and capacity, 
more channels have to be assigned, which means more spectrum has to be 
allocated. Therefore, finding additional spectrum is essential to 
meeting the growing demands and needs of consumers and businesses 
alike.
  Just as with the Internet, we have only scratched the surface on what 
the future of wireless will bring to all areas of life. That is why we 
must be proactive in advancing supportive spectrum policy and spectrum 
availability. And this begins with the first step--complete an accurate 
inventory of what is out there and how it is being used. Once we have 
that information, we can then perform the necessary analysis of where 
additional spectrum could be found and allocated toward broadband and 
advanced communications services. That is why I sincerely hope that my 
colleagues join Senators Kerry, Nelson, Wicker, and me in supporting 
this critical legislation.
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