Rep Latta Hoping for Auction Authority in Reconciliation

Rep Bob Latta (R-OH) said he hoped the Federal Communications Commission’s authority to auction off spectrum could be restored in a budget reconciliation bill in 2025. Latta chairs the House Communications and Technology Subcommittee, which deals with telecommunications issues. It’s part of the House Commerce Committee, which Rep Latta said is “going to play a large part in” a reconciliation bill. Budget reconciliations allow lawmakers to bypass the Senate’s filibuster and move spending bills with a bare majority. Incoming Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-ND) is in favor of two separate packages over the course of next year. The agency’s spectrum auction authority has been lapsed since March 2023, when it expired amid concerns over whether the Defense Department could relinquish airwaves sought after by the mobile carriers.