Yesterday, Senators John Kennedy (R-LA) and Brian Schatz (D-HI) introduced the “The Spectrum Management And Reallocation for Taxpayers (or SMART) Act” to create a public auction for C-Band spectrum and use the revenue to provide funding for rural broadband and next-generation 911 services. Public Knowledge welcomes this bipartisan effort to help close the widening digital divide.
The following can be attributed to Bertram Lee, Policy Counsel at Public Knowledge:
“We applaud Senators Schatz and Kennedy for introducing this bill to make sure that the proceeds of any C-Band spectrum auction will be used to help close the digital divide rather than acting as a windfall for satellite companies. The bill will also help make 5G deployment a reality in rural areas while providing next-generation 911 services to more Americans. By guaranteeing a public auction, this bill will make sure that this spectrum reaches auction faster and provide for a fair and transparent bidding process. Spectrum is a public resource and the proceeds of any spectrum auction should be used to benefit the public — not raise share prices.”
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