Rep. Greg Walden (R-Ore.), chairman of the House Communications Subcommittee, plans to mark up a spectrum incentive auction bill Oct. 4, according to two sources.
A markup is when a bill is amended and, if all goes according to plan, gets voted out of the committee.
The bill would allow for auctions of reclaimed broadcast spectrum. While not diametrically opposed to spectrum auctions, broadcasters are concerned that there are insufficient interference and coverage area protections in current legislation for the broadcasters who choose to remain in the business.
The FCC has indicated it will have to "repack stations" to clear a swath of spectrum to auction for wireless broadband.
A separate incentive auction bill backed by Senate Commerce Committee Chairman Jay Rockefeller (D-W. Va.) has been incorporated into the President's jobs bill.
A Walden spokesperson would only say they were aiming for a markup "sometime next week."
