Blunt aide explains support for D Block auction

Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.) is sticking with his support for a D Block auction rather than reallocation of that spectrum to public safety agencies, putting him in line with House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans, a group he belonged to last session. 

Blunt filed an amendment to a comprehensive spectrum bill to require the Federal Communications Commission to auction the D Block. The legislation will be marked up Wednesday. 

His amendment would reverse the central piece of the bill from Sens. Jay Rockefeller (D-W.Va.) and Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-Texas), who want to reallocate the block to public safety agencies. 

No word from Blunt's office on whether he will vote against the legislation if it includes a reallocation provision. Below is a statement from Blunt spokeswoman, Amber Marchand, explaining his support for the auction. 

"Senator Blunt believes our first responders need access to all of the appropriate tools in order to do their jobs and keep our communities safe. He is also a proponent of incentivized spectrum auctions as a way to generate and optimize spectrum for commercial use and raise revenue for deficit reduction. Current estimates indicate that the D Block of 700 mhz spectrum is worth about $2.8 billion. Senator Blunt has a long history of working on this issue, and his amendment will ensure that public safety officials have access to additional spectrum while raising revenues by auctioning the D Block and providing incentives for a public/private partnerships.”