H.R. 2171 · Where this bill is now
In committee
Introduced in the House, sent to the Committee on Energy and Commerce, Mar 18, 2025
What this bill does
In plain words · AI-written from the official summaryRequires spectrum coordination documentation
This bill asks two federal agencies—the FCC and NTIA—to be more transparent about how they work together when changing who can use radio frequencies. When the FCC proposes reallocating spectrum in a way that might affect federal users like the military or weather services, the NTIA must publicly file information about which agencies could be impacted and what concerns they raised. If the FCC finalizes the change, it must also publish a summary showing how those concerns were addressed.
How it affects you
This doesn't directly change anything in your daily life, but it makes the government's behind-the-scenes coordination more visible to the public. If you're interested in how federal agencies manage wireless frequencies, or if you work in telecommunications or government, you'll have clearer access to how these decisions are made and what trade-offs were considered.
Read the official summary (Introduced in House, Mar 18, 2025)
Spectrum Coordination Act
This bill requires the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to document publicly their interagency coordination efforts with respect to certain spectrum reallocation actions potentially affecting federal spectrum users.
Specifically, for any proposal by the FCC to reallocate radio frequency spectrum in a manner anticipated to result in an auction or licensing that may impact federal spectrum use, the NTIA must file certain information in the public docket for the action during the public comment period. Specifically, this filing must include (1) the date on which the FCC notified the NTIA of the proposed action; (2) any federal entities that may be affected by the proposal; (3) the date on which the NTIA notified those entities of the proposal; and (4) a summary of any technical, procedural, or policy concerns of potentially affected federal entities or the NTIA.
In the event that the FCC promulgates a final rule involving such a spectrum action, the FCC must publish in the Federal Register along with the final rule an interagency coordination summary describing (1) the date on which the FCC notified the NTIA of the action; and (2) whether the NTIA or any potentially affected federal entity raised concerns regarding the action and, if so, how they were addressed.
Separately, the FCC and the NTIA must update the Memorandum of Understanding between them within three years of the bill’s enactment and periodically thereafter. Updates must reflect changing technological, procedural, and policy circumstances.
Written by AI (Claude) using only the official summary by the Congressional Research Service, the Library of Congress’s nonpartisan research staff. It can miss nuance, so check the official summary and the bill text for details.
1st SessionH. R. 2171
A BILL
Spectrum Coordination Act
Sponsor: Rep. Troy Balderson (R-OH-12) · Introduced Mar 18, 2025 · Science, Technology, Communications · 1 version of the text
Sources: Congress.gov actions and votes · bill text from GovInfo · latest official action Mar 18, 2025: “Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.”