Political Quotes

“I rise today to ask a unanimous consent request on S. 650. This is a bill that I have introduced with Senator Hirono that would extend the Federal Communications Commission's spectrum auction authority until the end of the fiscal year, September 30, 2023. Currently, this authority is set to expire tomorrow night. Our legislation would prevent this expiration and allow the Department of Defense and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to focus on a statutorily required study which is to be completed by September of this year. This will define DOD spectrum requirements and articulate the risks should the Department lose access to portions of the 3.1 to 3.45 gigahertz frequencies that are home to systems that are used to defend our country from attack. The extension of this authorization until September 30 would allow time for the DOD and the NTIA to complete their study which, as I say, is expected in September. We cannot allow potential authorizing spectrum legislation to affect any decision making related to the lower 3 gigahertz band before the DOD and the NTIA release their study, which is expected, as I say, in September. The FCC's spectrum auction authority was previously extended less than just 3 months ago.…”