Reps. Brett Guthrie (R-KY.) and Doris Matsui (D-Calif.) have taken their spectrum policy advocacy to a new level, forming the Congressional Spectrum Caucus.
They are already cochairs of the House Energy & Commerce Committee's Federal Spectrum Working Group.
"Spectrum, a key component of innovation, is facing an increasingly high demand while in limited supply," said Guthrie. "The caucus will attempt to educate our colleagues on the importance of spectrum policy and identify ways to increase access to and better utilize spectrum."
The pair have already teamed up on two bills to promote and incentivize sharing of federal agency spectrum. The National Telecommunications & Information Administration has identified more than 400 MHZ of federal spectrum that could be shared or reclaimed.
The White House has directed both the FCC and NTIA to hunt up spectrum for wireless broadband as a way to speed deployment and increase capacity.
Chip Pickering, CEO of Comptel (competitive telecom carriers) and a former member of the Energy & Commerce Committee, welcomed the spotlight.
"COMPTEL and its members are grateful for the work that Reps. Guthrie and Matsui are doing in the area of spectrum policy. The creation of a Congressional Spectrum Caucus is a natural evolution of their efforts to educate Members of Congress on the crucial issues surrounding spectrum policy for the next generation.
"As the founder of the Congressional Wireless Caucus during my tenure in the House of Representatives, I understand how valuable these efforts are to ensure that Congressional leaders have a strong understanding of these complex issues and how they profoundly impact the economy."
"ITI commends the great leadership of Reps. Brett Guthrie and Doris Matsui for their continued work to address our nation's spectrum needs by launching the Congressional Spectrum Caucus today," said the Information Technology Industry Council. "Their ongoing commitment to this critical issue will ensure Congress continues to focus on making more spectrum available for mobile broadband and other needs of Americans."
