U.S. Representatives Doris Matsui and Brett Guthrie reintroduced legislation today that would require the spectrum between 1755MHz and 1780MHz be reallocated and auctioned for commercial mobile broadband use. Matsui introduced a similar act last year, which followed recommendations made by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) that suggested the government might be able to share that spectrum block with consumers. The industry was quick to applaud the act. "Sprint commends Congresswoman Matsui and Congressman Guthrie for recognizing that more spectrum needs to be made available to support the growing consumer demand for wireless broadband services," said Larry Krevor, vice president of Government Affairs for Sprint. "We support efforts like this measure which maximize the efficient use of the public airwaves." Steve Largent, president of the CTIA, said, "As Congress and stakeholders in the Administration and the FCC discuss how to move forward, the Matsui-Guthrie approach offers a path that can deliver a win for government users and industry alike, and most importantly for taxpayers, since linking the 1755 to 1780 band with the upcoming auction of the 2155 to 2180 band is likely to produce substantially higher revenue than an unpaired auction of the 2155 to 2180 band."


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