Coburn blocks floor action On bipartisan spectrum bill

Sen. Tom Coburn, R-Okla., is blocking Senate legislation that seeks to implement a key spectrum-related recommendation in the FCC's national broadband plan, delivering the commission and its month-old technology blueprint the latest in a series of setbacks.

The bill, sponsored by Senate Commerce Communications Subcommittee Chairman John Kerry, D-Mass., requires the FCC and Commerce Department to conduct an inventory of government-controlled airwaves to identify additional frequencies that could be devoted to wireless broadband service.

Multiple efforts to "hotline" the legislation to gauge whether it could pass by unanimous consent -- including an attempt late last week -- were stymied by Coburn, who is concerned that taxpayers would be forced to pick up the tab to conduct the inventory, estimated at roughly $22 million.

The senator has a history of delaying measures he believes would increase the federal deficit because they lack offsetting funds.

The holdup represents the latest obstacle for the broadband plan, which seeks to extend Internet access to more than 90 percent of Americans over the next decade. A recent federal appeals court decision has undermined the FCC's ability to move ahead with key provisions and could mire the agency in legal battles for years.

Passage of the spectrum inventory bill, whose 10 co-sponsors include Commerce ranking member Kay Bailey Hutchison and Sen. Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, a senior member on Commerce, is considered critical to avert an impending shortage of wireless megahertz that could cripple broadband providers as usage is set to skyrocket.

Enactment of the bill also could alleviate pressure on television stations to relinquish coveted airwaves that would be used instead for wireless Internet connectivity.

The offices of Kerry and Snowe have been reaching out to Coburn with ideas for paying for the legislation and hope the delay won't last more than a few weeks. They're also emphasizing that the bill would benefit taxpayers by enabling the auction of unused and underutilized airwaves, with the proceeds going to the Treasury.

"Dr. Coburn believes our budget crisis is more pressing than our bandwidth crisis. Congress should pay for this bill by reducing wasteful spending instead of borrowing more from future generations," John Hart, the senator's communications director, said in an e-mail. Coburn is not a member of the Senate Commerce Committee, which has primary oversight over communications matters.

A similar bill in the House, sponsored by House Energy and Commerce Chairman Henry Waxman with the strong backing of Energy and Commerce Communications Subcommittee Chairman Rick Boucher, D-Va., passed on April 14 by 394-18.