Bill Text: OH HCR27 | 2011-2012 | 129th General Assembly | Introduced
Bill Title: To urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC)
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 10-0)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-11-09 - To Public Utilities [HCR27 Detail]
Download: Ohio-2011-HCR27-Introduced.html
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Representative Peterson
Cosponsors:
Representatives Derickson, Buchy, Hayes, Adams, R., Grossman, Gonzales, Hill, Adams, J., Damschroder
| To urge the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) | 1 |
| to reconsider the FCC order granting the broadband | 2 |
| network provider, LightSquared, conditional | 3 |
| authority to construct cellular base stations that | 4 |
| may interfere with the frequency used by global | 5 |
| positioning systems upon which precision | 6 |
| agriculture and other activities rely. | 7 |
BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE STATE OF OHIO
(THE SENATE CONCURRING):
| WHEREAS, The use of high-speed broadband technology and | 8 |
| global positioning systems (GPS) have changed the way Ohioans live | 9 |
| and do business throughout the state by offering a wealth of | 10 |
| opportunities for all Ohioans; and | 11 |
| WHEREAS, Having become an integral part of everyday life, GPS | 12 |
| devices are used for many purposes including responding to | 13 |
| emergencies, surveying construction and other sites, tracking | 14 |
| freight and fleet vehicles, finding business or restaurant | 15 |
| locations, navigating bodies of water, and even finding lost pets | 16 |
| and, as a result, GPS devices allow Ohioans to respond to | 17 |
| emergencies more efficiently, improve business practices, and | 18 |
| pursue leisure activities such as sailing, hiking, geocaching, and | 19 |
| planning road trips; and | 20 |
| WHEREAS, For the many farms in the state and the nation that | 21 |
| rely on GPS devices and software, GPS service has become an | 22 |
| indispensible tool to collect accurate geographical data to map | 23 |
| field boundaries, roads, and irrigation systems, to collect data | 24 |
| to increase crop yields, and to accurately pinpoint specific field | 25 |
| locations year after year; and | 26 |
| WHEREAS, Precision agriculture using GPS services allows | 27 |
| farmers to increase their productivity through precision planting | 28 |
| and targeted application of fertilizers and chemicals to improve | 29 |
| crops and combat weeds and crop diseases; and | 30 |
| WHEREAS, GPS technology makes it possible for farmers to work | 31 |
| in fields under low-visibility conditions due to rain, dust, fog, | 32 |
| or darkness; and | 33 |
| WHEREAS, The accuracy of GPS services affords farmers the | 34 |
| ability to limit input costs, to operate more efficiently and | 35 |
| economically, and to be more environmentally friendly; and | 36 |
| WHEREAS, The economic stability of rural Ohio and the farming | 37 |
| community would be adversely impacted if GPS services were | 38 |
| disrupted by interference from high-speed broadband services | 39 |
| operated over frequencies on the L-band spectrum currently used by | 40 |
| low-powered satellite-based GPS; and | 41 |
| WHEREAS, The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has | 42 |
| granted conditional approval for the broadband network provider, | 43 |
| LightSquared, to construct high-powered cellular base stations as | 44 |
| part of its effort to create a nationwide wireless network | 45 |
| integrated with satellite coverage; and | 46 |
| WHEREAS, Such base stations may create untenable disruptions | 47 |
| to GPS receivers resulting in a direct economic impact that is | 48 |
| estimated to be $19.9 billion annually within the nation's | 49 |
| agriculture industry; and | 50 |
| WHEREAS, Such disruptions also will interfere with the | 51 |
| GPS-dependent activities of Ohioans as they go about their | 52 |
| business and recreational activities; now therefore be it | 53 |
| RESOLVED, That we, the members of the 129th General Assembly | 54 |
| of the state of Ohio, in adopting this resolution, urge the FCC to | 55 |
| reconsider its order granting LightSquared conditional authority | 56 |
| to proceed with cellular base station construction; and be it | 57 |
| further | 58 |
| RESOLVED, That the FCC address the concerns about GPS | 59 |
| interference held by incumbent broadband spectrum users regarding | 60 |
| LightSquared's cellular base station proposal; and be it further | 61 |
| RESOLVED, That LightSquared's request to operate a nationwide | 62 |
| network of cellular base stations be considered as a reallocation | 63 |
| of spectrum subject to public comment and participation under | 64 |
| different rules than used previously; and be it further | 65 |
| RESOLVED, That the FCC establish and direct a more effective | 66 |
| process to scientifically evaluate the impact of cellular base | 67 |
| stations proposed by LightSquared and any interference the | 68 |
| stations may cause with GPS services and, during the process, as | 69 |
| this new technology is considered for the L-band, that the FCC | 70 |
| draw upon its engineering prowess, institutional knowledge, and | 71 |
| laboratory facilities to ensure that the process is open and | 72 |
| impartial with sufficient time allotted for public input from | 73 |
| existing users and technical experts; and be it further | 74 |
| RESOLVED, That the Clerk of the House of Representatives | 75 |
| transmit duly authenticated copies of this resolution to the | 76 |
| Chairperson of the FCC, the President of the United States, the | 77 |
| Secretary of the United States Senate, the Clerk of the United | 78 |
| States House of Representatives, the members of the Ohio | 79 |
| Congressional delegation, and the news media of Ohio. | 80 |
