To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to extend the authority of the Federal Communications Commission to grant a license or construction permit through a system of competitive bidding.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the consideration of H.R. 1108, to extend the Federal Communications Commission's authority to auction spectrum.

Congress has never let the FCC's spectrum auction authority lapse before, and we can't do it now. As I noted in my earlier comments, spectrum is critical to our modern communications system--something that, actually, Senator Rounds has spoken so eloquently to--so we have to keep it going. We need an FCC and an NTIA that respect all Federal incumbent uses of spectrum, especially those uses that protect our national security. Again, I acknowledge the comments of Senator Rounds.

As we consider the reauthorization of the FCC's auction authority, it is important to recognize we are entering a really new era in the United States' spectrum strategy. This new strategy has to be comprehensive to ensure our remaining spectrum is put to its highest and best use, and we must ensure we don't impact or interfere with our national security as we try to get further benefits from the civilian sector for spectrum utilization.

H.R. 1108's 2-month extension would allow for the further development of this comprehensive approach. As I mentioned earlier, folks are really working on that, and we don't want to take the pressure off. We want to keep the pedal to the metal and see if they can reach an agreement.

Importantly, H.R. 1108's 2-month extension does not slow down or otherwise limit the Department of Defense's study of the lower 3 gigahertz band under the bipartisan infrastructure law. I just want to reiterate that. The DOD can continue with its study. It will remain on track to complete its study by September 30.

This extension also doesn't change the requirement that any reallocation decisions for the band must wait until after the DOD finishes its study. So there is consensus here that we have to make certain the DOD's national security equities are front and center.

What this extension would do is to ensure that the critical work of our Agencies and wireless ecosystem does continue undisrupted.

Maintaining the FCC's auction authority will allow Congress to work quickly toward developing forward-thinking spectrum policy that both protects our national security and encourages the development of new technologies.

It is very important, especially now that time is of the essence, for us to develop our own spectrum strategy and stay ahead of our competitors. So every month that we stall on a comprehensive spectrum bill is more time for our rivals to get ahead of us.

For all of those reasons, I am asking my colleagues to support H.R. 1108's 2-month extension of the FCC's auction authority as my colleagues and I work toward a comprehensive spectrum legislation package to ensure that the United States continues to lead in spectrum innovation and policy.

Madam President, I ask unanimous consent that the Senate proceed to the immediate consideration of H.R. 1108, which was received from the House and is at the desk; further, that the bill be considered read a third time and passed and that the motion to reconsider be considered made and laid upon the table.

Madam President, just to remark, here is the dilemma we have. Much of what the Senator from South Dakota is saying I agree with, but we have two things that are relevant on a very practical level.

One is the pressure that continues to be brought to bear on the negotiators with the 60-day extension to get a final agreement, which would solve the problems that all of us face and are of concern to the Senator from South Dakota.

The second is a political one. It has been conveyed to us very clearly that the House will not take up anything beyond the 60-day extension. We may think they are wrong, but they have the authority to reject an extension beyond the 60 days. That would result in a lapse in spectrum authority, which would be devastating to all of us and all of the goals we are striving to achieve.

So that is the practical question we face.

I yield the floor.

I suggest the absence of a quorum.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, I rise in support of H.R. 1108 to extend the authority of the Federal Communications Commission to auction commercial spectrum.

Our Nation's airwaves are one of our country's most important natural resources. Indeed, radio waves are a critical component in building next-generation wireless networks and delivering high-speed services to American consumers. As such, radio waves and the networks they support can make a meaningful difference in Americans' lives by expanding the reach of telehealth services, extending learning beyond the classroom, and providing critical communications for public safety activities. To achieve these notable goals, we must continue to expand the ability of commercial users to access our airwaves.

H.R. 1108 provides a short-term extension of the Federal Communications Commission's auction authority for roughly 2 months from its expiration date this coming March.

It is essential that we extend this authority. Congress has never allowed this spectrum authority to lapse, and to maintain our Nation's global leadership in wireless innovation, we must ensure that consistent management and oversight of spectrum remains intact, which includes spectrum auctions. For years these auctions have efficiently made our airwaves available for commercial use.

Importantly, though, even with the passage of this legislation, our work will not be done. We must spend these next 2 months working with our Senate colleagues to pass a bipartisan spectrum agreement that can get to the President's desk before the FCC's auction authority expires again.

The Energy and Commerce Committee has traditionally worked in a bipartisan fashion on key telecommunication matters, and I commend Chairwoman Rodgers for continuing this tradition with this legislation.

Mr. Speaker, I urge all of my colleagues to support this timely bill in a bipartisan manner, and I hope the Senate will soon follow. I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, this is an important piece of legislation to extend this spectrum auction authority. I urge all of my colleagues to support it in a bipartisan manner, and I yield back the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I move to suspend the rules and pass the bill (H.R. 1108) to amend the Communications Act of 1934 to extend the authority of the Federal Communications Commission to grant a license or construction permit through a system of competitive bidding.

Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members may have 5 legislative days in which to revise and extend their remarks and insert extraneous material in the Record on the bill.

Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume.

Mr. Speaker, it is important today that we consider H.R. 1108. This bill would extend the Federal Communications Commission's general authority to auction spectrum and provide licenses and construction permits for the use of radio spectrum.

This piece of legislation is sponsored by the gentlewoman from Washington who is the chairman of the Energy and Commerce Committee and also by the ranking member of the Energy and Commerce Committee, the gentleman from New Jersey.

Without congressional action, the FCC's authority to issue spectrum licenses expires on March 9. Auction authority is a key tool for making frequencies available for commercial uses that enable U.S. technological leadership.

This bill will also ensure that FCC has the authority it needs to continue issuing licenses for a spectrum band that will be used to provide better coverage and wireless speeds across the United States.

Mr. Speaker, I urge my colleagues to support this legislation, and I reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 3 minutes to the gentlewoman from Washington State (Mrs. Rodgers), the chair of the Energy and Commerce Committee.

Mr. Speaker, I yield 2 minutes to the gentleman from Florida (Mr. Dunn).

Mr. Speaker, I also urge support of H.R. 1108. In the report that just came out from the Congressional Budget Office this past week for the budget outlook for 2023 to 2033, it is important to note that, on page 13, it cites that the FCC conducted several auctions in 2021 and 2022, which boosted net receipts in 2022 to $104 billion.

Mr. Speaker, it is absolutely essential that this piece of legislation is passed, and I urge all of my colleagues to support H.R. 1108.

Mr. Speaker, I yield back the balance of my time.

Madam President, reserving the right to object, I appreciate my friend and colleague from Vermont and his offer.

My concern is that the spectrum study, which the Senator has acknowledged, will not be done until September 30. There is no reasonable explanation as to why we would not be able to extend until September 30 the auction capabilities that are available at the present time.

However, there is an appeals process which is very important to the Department of Defense, and every time we have a discussion about the process

moving forward, the risk of an appeals process modifying or being changed is incorporated or at least is being proposed.

For those of us who are very concerned about the ability to protect the very clear and important portions of the spectrum that the Department of Defense utilizes, it is important that there be no modifications to any appeals process between now and September 30. Until such time as we have that available to us, it is simply not appropriate, I believe, to allow for an existing modification or new legislation to be proposed that does not take that into account.

Once again, I don't want to see this lapse either--I would love to see it moved on--but I cannot think of a reason we would not be able to extend the existing auction capabilities of the FCC, the NTIA, and so forth and still protect the spectrum capabilities of the Department of Defense until September 30, at which time the complete report will be available. Until such time, I believe that it would be inappropriate to, once again, have the risk of modifications to any appeals process and any additional legislation that might be included in a further extension.

Therefore, with all due respect, I must object.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today to share my support for four important bills that were considered by the House on Monday: H. Res. 132, a resolution responding to the earthquakes in Turkiye and Syria on February 6, 2023; H.R. 538, Informing Consumers about Smart Devices Act; H.R. 1059, the SECURE Notarization Act of 2023; and H.R. 1108, To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to extend the authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to grant a license or construction permit through a system of competitive bidding.

Regrettably, I was unable to cast my votes for this legislation, but had I been able to, I would have voted to pass all four.

I had the pleasure of voting for the SECURE Notarization Act when this bill passed the House in the 117th Congress, and I would have gladly voted for it in the 118th Congress as well.

I regret having missed the vote on H.R. 1108, to extend the FCC's spectrum auction authority. In the 117th Congress, I introduced legislation to extend the FCC's spectrum auction authority through March of 2024, which passed the House in July 2022. However, only a short-term extension was included in the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2023, and this bill would push that deadline back to May of 2023. This will give the FCC confidence to host upcoming auctions and to raise revenues for the federal government while Congress debates long-term action.