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5G SALE Act

Public Law 118-27 · S. 2787 · 118th Congress · began in the Senate

Signed by Joe Biden (D) on Dec 19, 2023 · Science, Technology, Communications

Sponsor: Sen. John Kennedy (R-LA)

Cosponsors: None

Passage votes

  • HouseVoice vote
  • SenateUnanimous consent
Data notes

The final version of the law, as each chamber passed it. A chamber that passed it by voice vote or unanimous consent has no count. “Method not stated” means the record does not say how the chamber voted. Where the record has a member-by-member vote, the “Who voted for it” section shows who voted yea.

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Summary

The Congressional Research Service’s plain-language summary of what the law does.

5G Spectrum Authority Licensing Enforcement Act or the 5G SALE Act

This act temporarily authorizes the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to process applications for licenses or permits for the use of specified bands of the electromagnetic spectrum that were auctioned on or before March 9, 2023. The authorization terminates 90 days after the enactment of the act.

The FCC has not processed the licenses or permits for the previously auctioned spectrum because its authority to conduct auctions lapsed on March 9, 2023.

Committees

The committees the bill was sent to, and what each did with it.

Data notes

A committee links to its page only where it exists in the current Congress; older and renamed committees are named without a link.

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Related bills

1 bill the Library of Congress relates to this one.

Data notes

Related bills are identified by the Congressional Research Service, the House and the Senate: companion and identical bills, bills with similar text, bills that were folded into this law, and rules that brought it to the floor. A bill that is itself a public law in this site’s data links here; the others link to Congress.gov.

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Timeline

From introduction to signing, newest first: the committees, the floor and the president. 15 actions.

  1. Dec 19, 2023Became lawBecame law · Became Public Law No: 118-27.
  2. Became lawBecame law · Signed by President.
  3. Dec 13, 2023FloorFloor · Presented to President.
  4. Dec 11, 2023FloorFloor · Motion to reconsider laid on the table Agreed to without objection.
  5. FloorFloor · On motion to suspend the rules and pass the bill Agreed to by voice vote.
  6. FloorFloor · DEBATE - The House proceeded with forty minutes of debate on S. 2787.
  7. FloorFloor · Considered under suspension of the rules.
  8. FloorFloor · Mr. Latta moved to suspend the rules and pass the bill.
  9. Sep 22, 2023FloorFloor · Held at the desk.
  10. FloorFloor · Received in the House.
  11. FloorFloor · Message on Senate action sent to the House.
  12. Sep 21, 2023FloorFloor · Passed Senate without amendment by Unanimous Consent.
  13. CommitteeCommittee · Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation discharged by Unanimous Consent.
  14. Sep 13, 2023CommitteeCommittee · Read twice and referred to the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation.
  15. IntroducedIntroduced · Introduced in Senate
Data notes

Every action the Library of Congress lists for the bill, from introduction to signing, plus the dated committee hearings. The source lists many steps twice (the chamber’s own entry and the Library of Congress copy, or a presidential and a became-law entry with the same words); those are shown once. Amendments are listed in their own section.

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Amendments

No amendments to this bill are on record.

Data notes

Amendments offered to this bill in either chamber, as the Library of Congress records them: each with a status read from its last recorded step: agreed to, rejected, withdrawn, ruled out of order, fell with another amendment, or offered with no vote recorded (most Senate amendments are only ever offered). The wording of each amendment is the source’s. Amendments to amendments and amendments to other bills are not listed.

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Official record

The bill’s full text is on Congress.gov. Data through Oct 7, 2026.