Boucher-Stearns bill to give FCC power to move on incentive spectrum auctions

Reps. Rick Boucher (D-Va.) and Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), who lead the House Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee, introduced a bill Thursday to empower the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to conduct voluntary incentive auctions to free up spectrum for commercial wireless providers. 

Originally one of the most contentious recommendations in the FCC's National Broadband Plan released in March, the possibility of offering incentives to spectrum licensees to relinquish their spectrum has become less controversial in recent weeks. 

That's after President Obama endorsed the policy in June and the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB) said such auctions would be acceptable as long as they are truly voluntary. The broadcasters had sought assurances that they would not be forced off the airwaves.

Stearns emphasized on Thursday that the policy holds carrots and not sticks. "It is important to stress that any incentive auctions conducted by the FCC are truly voluntary. No spectrum licensee, whether a broadcaster or wireless provider, should be forced to give up the spectrum they currently hold," he said. 

NAB said on Thursday that it "saluted" Boucher and Stearns for the legislation.

"As NAB has previously articulated, we have no quarrel with incentive auctions that are truly voluntary, and the Boucher-Stearns bill is a clear step in the right direction," NAB executive vice president of communications Dennis Wharton said in a statement.

As consumers upgrade from basic cell phones to smartphones and as data applications become more elaborate, the need to free up spectrum for wireless use increases, Boucher said in a statement. He commended the FCC’s National Broadband Plan goal to make 500 MHz of spectrum newly available for broadband use within the decade. 

"That is a worthy goal, and one that our legislation will assist in achieving,” he said.

Stearns echoed the positive remarks. 

"As customers increase the amount of time they spend on their mobile devices talking, e-mailing, and surfing the Internet, cell sites become constrained for capacity. In order to remain the world’s leader in innovation, we need to make more spectrum available," he said in a statement.

FCC spokeperson Jen Howard commended the effort on Thursday.

"We’re pleased to see consensus growing across government for the voluntary incentive auctions outlined in the National Broadband Plan. This pro-investment spectrum strategy will spur economic growth, create jobs, and promote U.S. global leadership in mobile," she said.

Updated at 3:25 p.m. to include an FCC comment.