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United States · Bill · S

S. 2555 (114th)

MOBILE NOW Act

openUnited States· United States Congress· EN

Introduced

11 February 2016

Last action

20 December 2016 · Committee

Status

By Senator Thune from Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation filed written report under authority of the order of the Senate of 12/10/2016. Report No. 114-427.

Sponsors

John Thune, Rep. Nelson, Bill [D-FL-11]

Subjects

Transport, Taxation, Budget

Source updated

7 April 2025

Transport · Taxation · Budget

Official sourceDownload fileView documentsShare

Summary

Making Opportunities for Broadband Investment and Limiting Excessive and Needless Obstacles to Wireless Act or the MOBILE NOW Act This bill requires the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), by December 31, 2020, to make available at least 255 megahertz of federal and nonfederal spectrum below the frequency of 6000 megahertz for mobile and fixed wireless broadband use. The spectrum must be made available on a licensed or unlicensed basis for shared use by nonfederal and federal users to enable the deployment of wireless broadband services. The NTIA must assess the feasibility of authorizing mobile or fixed terrestrial wireless operations, including for advanced mobile service operations, on federal entities and operations in specified bands between 24250 and 86000 megahertz. The FCC must then publish a notice of proposed rulemaking within two years after enactment of this Act to consider service rules authorizing such operations. The Department of Commerce and the FCC must submit reports evaluating the feasibility of allowing commercial wireless services to share use of specified frequencies between 3100 and 4200 megahertz. The FCC must include in its proposals for the assignment of new licenses for nonfederal use under Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2015 any spectrum within those frequencies identified as most suitable for sharing with commercial wireless services if the frequencies are suitable for allocation by competitive bidding. Before 2017, the FCC must take action in its Program Alternatives for Small Wireless Communications Facility Deployments proceeding. The Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 is amended to require executive agencies, within a reasonable period of time, to grant or deny applications for easements or rights-of-way to, in, over, or on federal property to install, construct, modify, or maintain a communications facility installation. Executive agencies must: (1) notify applicants of the reasons for denials, (2) explain delays if a decision is not made within 150 days after receiving an application, and (3) designate an agency point of contact for applicants. The bill expands the categories of infrastructure, antennas, wiring, and wireless transmission equipment for which applicants may seek such easements or rights-of-way. The bill expresses the sense of Congress that federal agencies should: (1) include conduit installation in federally funded highway construction projects, and (2) ensure that communications providers may access such conduit on a nondiscriminatory basis. The Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) must establish a single database of real property owned, leased, or managed by executive agencies that is capable of supporting a communications facility installation. The OSTP must make the database available to: (1) entities that construct or operate communications facility installations or provide communications service, and (2) state and local governments so that they may provide information regarding state and local properties to include in the database. Commerce must submit recommendations to incentivize federal entities to relinquish, or share with federal or nonfederal users, federal spectrum for commercial wireless broadband services. The Office of Management and Budget may provide pre-auction funding to federal agencies for auctions intended to occur within eight years (currently, five years) after the transfer of funds. Federal entities may request an immediate transfer of funds to pay for relocation or sharing costs after the frequencies are reallocated by competitive bidding.

This text is taken from the official record. PoliticalRepo does not editorialize.

Timeline

  1. 11 February 2016

    Introduced

    Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.

    Source: IntroReferral

  2. 11 February 2016

    Introduced

    Introduced in Senate

    Source: IntroReferral

  3. 3 March 2016

    Reported

    Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Ordered to be reported with an amendment in the nature of a substitute favorably.

    Source: Committee

  4. 28 April 2016

    Calendars

    Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 446.

    Source: Calendars

  5. 28 April 2016

    Reported

    Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Thune with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.

    Source: Committee

  6. 28 April 2016

    Reported

    Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation. Reported by Senator Thune with an amendment in the nature of a substitute. Without written report.

    Source: Committee

  7. 20 December 2016

    Floor

    By Senator Thune from Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation filed written report under authority of the order of the Senate of 12/10/2016. Report No. 114-427.

    Source: Floor

  8. 20 December 2016

    Committee

    By Senator Thune from Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation filed written report under authority of the order of the Senate of 12/10/2016. Report No. 114-427.

    Source: Committee

Votes

No vote records are attached yet.

Versions

Documents

6 official files

Reported to Senate (text)

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Sponsors

Related records

Sources

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