House Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman Rep. Fred Upton (R-Mich.) applauded the National Telecommunications and Information Administration’s announcement on Monday that it has endorsed an agreement that modernizes the Department of Defense’s broadcasting capabilities.
The agreement between the DoD and the National Association Broadcasters will relocate DoD’s communications system to a spectrum that is shared with broadcasters.
Upton, along with Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.) and other committee leadership, brokered the deal by working with the DoD, NTIA and FCC.
“The agreement reached by the DoD and the nation’s broadcasters is the progress we’ve been striving toward as part of our monthly discussions with the DoD, NTIA and the FCC,” Upton and Walden said. “This effort will help free up licensed spectrum to meet growing commercial demand while protecting the missions of our men and women in uniform…”
The agreement allows the DoD to move out of the 1,755 to 1,780 megahertz band range. The DoD will share the NAB’s Broadcast Auxiliary Service band, which allows news organizations to broadcast outside of a studio setting.
“This agreement is a long time in the making and we applaud DoD Chief Information Officer Teri Takai, (DoD Deputy Chief Information Officer) Maj. Gen. Robert Wheeler and the wireless and broadcast industries for working to craft a solution that meets the needs of all of the parties involved,” Upton and Walden said.