OVERNIGHT TECH: Supercommittee fails, closing avenue for spectrum overhaul

THE LEDE: The congressional supercommittee announced Monday evening that it had failed to reach a deal to cut the nation's deficit, closing off one avenue for reallocating swaths of airwaves known as spectrum.

Under the proposed plan, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) would hold auctions of spectrum currently used by television broadcasters. Supporters of the plan argued the supercommittee should have enacted spectrum auctions because the program could raise billions of dollars in revenue for deficit reduction and free up airwaves for wireless companies, which are struggling to meet the growing data needs of smartphones and tablet computers. The auctions would be voluntary, and the government would split some of the revenue with the participating stations.

First-responders had also urged the supercommittee to allocate the "D Block" of spectrum for a nationwide public-safety broadband network. Sen. Jay Rockefeller's (D-W.Va.) bill, S. 911, would allocate the D Block for public safety and would empower the FCC to hold spectrum auctions. His Commerce, Science and Transportation Committee approved the bill in June, but it has not come up for a vote in the full Senate. The House Energy and Commerce Committee's subpanel on Communications and Technology, which has jurisdiction on the issue, is still negotiating a House version of the legislation.

Sen. Rockefeller expressed disappointment about the supercommittee's failure, but pushed the Senate to act on his spectrum bill. "I am troubled by the super committee’s failure to make good on their promise to deliver a deficit-reduction plan for America," Rockefeller said in a statement. "Winning ideas like S.911 cannot keep falling victim to this partisan stubbornness. I will continue to pursue all avenues to get S.911 enacted this year.”

The wireless industry also urged Congress to pass spectrum legislation. "The wireless industry's need for additional spectrum is well documented," said Jot Carpenter, vice president of government affairs at CTIA-the Wireless Association. "If the supercommittee process doesn’t provide a path to addressing that our need for more spectrum, then there are other vehicles available that will ensure our members can access unused or underutilized spectrum and meet consumers’ demand for wireless broadband services. We look forward to working with Congress to ensure the U.S. wireless industry remains the world’s leader.”

ICYMI:

The House Judiciary Committee plans to markup the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) on Dec. 15, The Washington Post reports.

The Protect IP Act, the Senate version of copyright enforcement legislation, enjoys more bipartisan support than nearly every other bill currently pending in Congress, according to an analysis by the Recording Industry Association of America, which backs the legislation.

CTIA-The Wireless Association and the Entertainment Software Rating Board will unveil a new mobile app rating system on Nov. 29 in Washington, D.C. Sens. Mark Pryor (D-Ark.) and Kelly Ayotte (R-N.H.) will attend the announcement.

Sen. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) plans to read the names of people who have signed a petition to oppose the Protect IP Act as he attempts to block the legislation on the Senate floor, according to advocacy group Demand Progress.

The Business Software Alliance appears to be to backpedaling from its support of SOPA.

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