Statement of Administration Policy: H.R. 1674 - Federal Communications Commission Authorization Act of 1991

(SENT 9/20/91)
(House)
(Markey (D) Massachusetts and Rinaldo (R) New Jersey)

The Administration supports enactment of H.R. 1674, the "Federal Communications Commission Authorization Act of 1991." H.R. 1674 would require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to assess fees to recover part of the cost of the following regulatory activities: enforcement, policy and rulemaking, user information, and international activities. The Administration believes that fees are an appropriate way to recover the costs of regulation from those who benefit.

It is important, however, to distinguish the fees in H.R. 1674 from the Administration's proposal in H.R. 1407 to authorize the FCC to award new licenses through competitive bidding. Competitive bidding Would improve the current licensing process; encourage more efficient use of a valuable resource, the radio frequency spectrum; and make a potentially significant contribution to reducing the Federal deficit. Accordingly, while the Administration supports H.R. 1674, it continues to urge enactment of H.R. 1407, the "Emerging Telecommunications Technologies Act of 1991."