Chairman Pai Reiterates Call for Repeal of T-band Auction Mandate

An FCC auction of the T-band is a bad idea. But as of today, the law mandates that we do it. It’s unfortunate that Commission resources must be dedicated to laying the groundwork for an auction that will likely fail. This is especially true at a time when we are making every effort to keep Americans safe and connected, including allowing expanded temporary use of this very spectrum to help first responders save lives. Fortunately, there is bipartisan legislation in Congress to repeal this mandate, including bills that couple repeal with 911 fee diversion reform as reported out by the [Senate Commerce Committee] and the [House Communications Subcommittee]. I hope legislation passes soon so first responders who rely on this spectrum no longer need to worry about a potential loss of or significant disruption to their mission-critical radio systems. I remain committed to helping Congress in any way I can to ensure that such harms to public safety operations do not come to pass.

[The T-band auction mandate is a requirement of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012. On May 15, Chairman Pai circulated a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, which would take the next statutorily required step to implement this mandate.]