PlainBillCongress, translated.Legislation. Context. Public interest.Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Congressional Research Service
Version 00 · Introduced in House · Jan 23, 2025
Spectrum Pipeline Act of 2025
This bill renews the authority of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to auction licenses for the use of radio frequency spectrum, and requires some frequencies currently used by the federal government to be reallocated to permit use by private entities.
Specifically, the bill reauthorizes the FCC’s use of competitive bidding (i.e., auctions) to grant licenses for the use of specific frequencies. (The FCC’s auction authority must be renewed by Congress periodically. It expired on March 9, 2023, and has not been renewed.)
Showing the opening paragraphs of the official summary.
Further, the bill directs the National Telecommunications and Information Administration to identify frequencies currently designated for use by the federal government that may be reallocated to permit use by private entities either exclusively or on a shared basis. At least half of the spectrum identified for reallocation must be allocated to commercial use (including commercial wireless use), and licenses in this category must be auctioned by the FCC within a specified time frame.
A separate portion of the spectrum must be allocated to unlicensed use. (Unlicensed frequencies are commonly used to support Wi-Fi, connected appliances, wearable consumer devices, and other electronics.)
The bill also makes certain changes to the process for compensating federal entities that relocate to new frequencies under a spectrum reallocation plan. The bill shortens the time frame for congressional review of payments to these entities, and permits such payments to be used to cover the cost of replacing existing systems and equipment with state-of-the-art upgrades.
People & committees
Rep. Allen, Rick W. [R-GA-12] · R–GA
Legislative record
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Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Primary sources
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No related bills are listed in this snapshot. This does not establish whether the proposal has appeared in earlier Congresses.
Source last updated: Jan 28, 2026. Consult Congress.gov for the current record.
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