[Congressional Record Volume 158, Number 117 (Thursday, August 2, 2012)]
[Senate]
[Page S5988]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Ms. SNOWE:
  S. 3516. A bill to encourage spectrum licenses to make unused 
spectrum available for use by rural and smaller carriers in order to 
expand wireless coverage; to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and 
Transportation.
  Ms. SNOWE. Mr. President, I rise today to introduce legislation to 
help expand wireless broadband to rural areas. Specifically, the Rural 
Spectrum Accessibility Act would direct the Federal Communications 
Commission, FCC, establish a program that would provide an incentive, a 
three year extension to a spectrum license, to wireless carriers that 
make available, through partitioning and disaggregation, unused 
spectrum to smaller carriers or carriers serving rural areas.
  As the FCC National Broadband Plan reports ``most areas without 
mobile broadband coverage are in rural or remote areas.'' This 
legislation would provide an additional incentive to increase wireless 
broadband to these areas and make more spectrum available to smaller 
and rural wireless carriers through secondary market mechanisms.
  This bill is loosely based on a wireless carrier's existing program, 
which creates a partnership with rural carriers to build and operate 
Long Term Evolution, LTE, wireless networks in rural areas. Through the 
cooperation the carrier provides spectrum and core network equipment 
and the rural carrier supplies the cell towers and backhaul.
  The Rural Spectrum Accessibility Act is an effort to get other large 
carriers to implement similar initiatives to create more opportunities 
for the smaller and rural carriers. It should be noted the FCC actually 
already has partitioning and disaggregation rules, see 47 C.F.R. 
22.948, this legislative proposal just provides a simple but attractive 
incentive for carriers to utilize them.
  The main goal of this legislation is to provide another catalyst to 
expand next generation, 4G, Wireless broadband service to rural areas, 
which will mean more reliable service, more innovation, and more choice 
to rural consumers and businesses.
  The increasing importance of wireless communications and broadband 
has a direct correlation to our Nation's competitiveness, economy, and 
national security. We must reform existing spectrum policy and 
management to ensure that all Americans continue to realize the 
boundless benefits of wireless broadband. Congress has taken some steps 
but more can and must be done. That is why I sincerely hope that my 
colleagues join me in supporting this important legislation.
                                 ______