WASHINGTON — The top Republican and Democrat on the House Energy and Commerce Committee are working to avert a lapse next month in the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction spectrum as Congress seeks a more lasting plan that could pay for a number of telecommunications priorities.
Auctions of spectrum, or radio waves that have uses including broadcast television, mobile phone and broadband services, have been a financial boon for the government. But there are often competing pressures over which frequencies to sell to the private sector and what to do with the money.
“We have not seen the auction authority expire since it was first granted in 1993. So we have no idea what might be the legal consequences if it expires,” said Harold Feld, a senior vice president at Public Knowledge, a public interest group focused on digital privacy. “When something expires, it’s not at all clear that it will be renewed.”
