S. 3490: Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010

111th Congress · introduced 2010-06-15 · Science, Technology, Communications · Latest: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 696.

federal

Follow this bill, step by step

Where it came from: introduced 2010-06-15 · official record
Who proposed it: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] · what a sponsor is
What happened next: no floor votes in our records yet. Why?
Where it stands now: Placed on Senate Legislative Calendar under General Orders. Calendar No. 696. Not final yet: this can still change. We check for updates every day.
If it becomes law and spends money: follow the money to money laws, then agencies and contracts and grants.

What does this mean?

Official title

Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010

Plain summary

Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010 - (Sec. 2) Amends the National Telecommunications and Information Administration Organization Act to require the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to post on its website detailed transition plans from each federal entity that is eligible for payments from the Spectrum Relocation Fund (Fund) for costs related to the reallocation of frequencies from federal to nonfederal use. Requires each federal entity's transition plan to provide certain public information about its spectrum relocation requirements including its: (1) current spectrum use; (2) geographic location of facilities or systems; (3) frequency bands used; (4) steps to be taken to relocate current spectrum uses from eligible frequencies; (5) necessary NTIA interactions; (6) authorized commercial licensee negotiator; (7) plans and timelines for equipment procurement, field-testing, and personnel hiring; and (8) relocation process risk factors. Conditions a federal entity's eligibility to receive payment for relocations costs on, among other factors, an: (1) Office of Management and Budget (OMB) finding that such a federal entity complies with Fund requirements and this Act's requirements; and (2) evaluation by a three-member technical panel, of which the OMB Director, NTIA Administrator, and Chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) each appoint one member. Directs the FCC and the NTIA to jointly establish any necessary applicable conditions to define the term "shared access," including methods of sharing spectrum resources and coordination between federal and nonfederal entities (commercial licensees, and/or sharing network infrastructure or other resources). Requires the federal entities, to the fullest extent possible, to provide for sharing and coordination of eligible frequencies with commercial licensees. Requires federal entities to complete spectrum relocation within one year of receiving relocation payments. Sets forth a process for a federal entity to complete such relocation according to an approved alternative time period. Establishes a dispute resolution process for a federal entity or affected commercial licensee to seek resolution of disputes over the execution, timing, or cost of a transition plan. Requires the dispute resolution board to be assisted by the technical panel. Authorizes appeals from dispute resolution board decisions to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit. (Sec. 3) Requires the Comptroller General to submit to Congress a study regarding the spectrum management capabilities of the NTIA and other federal agencies, including an analysis of expected funding needs and coordination of existing federal resources, by agency, to prepare for any future relocation or sharing of currently utilized spectrum.

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s)), quoted unchanged (nonpartisan). Read the source.

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A “Nay” vote

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PSI Sci description of the legislative step (not an opinion).

What does this mean? (plain words)

Official text

Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010

Source: Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s))

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How did my representative vote? · This bill's floor votes

Officials and money

Sponsor: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] · 1 cosponsors

Cost estimate: CBO cost estimate: S. 3490, Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010 (2010-08-20); CBO cost estimate: S. 3490, Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2010 (2010-08-20)

Cosponsors on this site

Roger F. Wicker (R-MS)

Sponsor's campaign money: Sen. Warner, Mark R. [D-VA] reported raising $20.2 million (2025–2026). Details. Shown for context only; it does not mean any donor supported this bill.

No linked floor roll calls in our collected records yet. This does not mean the bill has never had a vote. Check the official bill history.

Words on this page, explained (2)

Authorization: A law that creates or continues a government program and says what it may do, often with a suggested spending ceiling. An authorization alone does not provide money; a separate appropriation does.
Resolution: A formal statement or decision by a legislative body. Simple resolutions often only express an opinion or set rules for one chamber; they do not become law.

Plain meanings written from linked sources. All words.

Sources

Congressional Research Service summary (Reported to Senate with amendment(s))
Congress.gov
Data: GovInfo BILLSTATUS bulk data (Library of Congress), BILLSTATUS-111s3490.xml <https://www.govinfo.gov/bulkdata/BILLSTATUS/111/s>

Record fed-us-cong111-s3490 · catalog fed-us-congress-bills-cong111 · updated 2026-11-15 by psicol fed-bills-cong111