119th Congress Science, Technology, Communications
H.R. 651: Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2025
Introduced
- Introduced (completed)
- Passed House (not reached)
- Passed Senate (not reached)
- To the President (not reached)
- Became law (not reached)
Summary
This bill renews the authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to auction licenses for the use of radio frequency spectrum, and requires some frequencies currently used by the federal government to be reallocated to permit use by private entities.
Specifically, the bill reauthorizes the FCC’s use of competitive bidding (i.e., auctions) to grant licenses for the use of specific frequencies. (The FCC’s auction authority must be renewed by Congress periodically. It expired on March 9, 2023, and has not been renewed.)
Further, the bill directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to identify frequencies currently designated for use by the federal government that may be reallocated to permit use by private entities either exclusively or on a shared basis. At least half of the spectrum identified for reallocation must be allocated to commercial use (including commercial wireless use), and licenses in this category must be auctioned by the FCC within a specified time frame.
Read the full summary
A separate portion of the spectrum must be allocated to unlicensed use. (Unlicensed frequencies are commonly used to support Wi-Fi, connected appliances, wearable consumer devices, and other electronics.)
The bill also makes certain changes to the process for compensating federal entities that relocate to new frequencies under a spectrum reallocation plan. The bill shortens the time frame for congressional review of payments to these entities, and permits such payments to be used to cover the cost of replacing existing systems and equipment with state-of-the-art upgrades.
Written by the Congressional Research Service, Library of Congress.
Roll calls
No roll call votes have been held on this bill.
Amendments
No amendments were offered to this bill.
Cosponsors
- Russ Fulcher R-ID
Who scored on this bill
No member has earned points from it yet.
See all scorers and every scoring event
Introductions and cosponsorships count toward weekly caps and show no points.
Other bills by Rick Allen
- H.R. 7895: PBM Kickback Prohibition Act
- H.R. 4122: Health Care for Energy Workers Act of 2025
- H.R. 4214: Clean Air and Building Infrastructure Improvement Act
- H.R. 4626: Home Appliance Protection and Affordability Act
- H.R. 2988: Protecting Prudent Investment of Retirement Savings Act
- H.R. 5169: Retire through Ownership Act
History
- Introduced in the House by Rick Allen.
Show the full action history (2 actions)
- Introduced in House
- Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.