WASHINGTON—Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.) said he will offer an amendment to the defense appropriations bill on the House floor next week that would guarantee the Department of Defense receives funds from the sale of third-generation mobile phone licenses.
The rider, which the freshman Illinois lawmaker will file with the House Rules Committee on Friday, would create two spectrum trust funds for DoD. One fund would underwrite the cost of relocating military radio systems from the 1700 MHz band—the part of the spectrum industry wants for 3G—to other, yet-to-be-identified frequencies.
The law requires that the Pentagon receive comparable spectrum before it can be forced off its airwaves. The second trust fund—called the enhanced combat compatibility account—would be more general in nature and could be tapped for such expenses as military health care and pay raises. Kirk, a House Armed Services Committee member, predicts the 3G auction could raise $45 billion or more. Kirk said his plan would enable full funding of Pentagon priorities without having to dip into Social Security and Medicare trust funds. Kirk said he does not presently have the votes for his amendment, but is busy trying to round up support before the defense spending bill hits the House floor next week.
Today, the Bush administration plans to ask Congress to pass legislation that would delay the 2002 auction of 3G licenses until 2004.
