Lawmakers seem to have reached a breakthrough over language for a spectrum provision in the GOP’s tax and spending megabill, Sen. Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) told POLITICO Wednesday.
The House proposal aimed to open up 600 MHz of spectrum for commercial use, alarming national security hawks, who warned that it would encroach on important military and intelligence frequencies. Rounds, a senior Senate Armed Services Committee member who was among those who pushed back, said on Wednesday that, per this emerging agreement, key spectrum bands would be protected from the auctions through 2034.
“It’s looking better than it has in the past, and I think we’re going to be able to get everything that we had concerns with,” he said, cautioning that the deal was still pending. “Final paper I have not seen, but it looks good.”
Asked earlier Wednesday about Rounds’ threats a day earlier to vote against legislation that doesn’t address his spectrum concerns, Senate Commerce Chair Ted Cruz (R-Texas) said, “I am confident we’ll get it done.”
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