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HR 4700 103th Congress House

Pioneer Preference Reform Act of 1994

Official title: To amend the Communications Act of 1934 to prohibit unjust enrichment in the award of licenses by means of pioneer preferences.

Introduced: June 30, 1994 See on congress.gov
Government Operations and Politics Administrative procedureFederal Communications CommissionFeesIndependent regulatory commissions
More subjectsShow fewer subjects
LicensesRadio spectrum allocationScience, Technology, CommunicationsTechnological innovationsTelecommunication industryTelevision frequency allocation
This bill died when the 103rd Congress ended
It never became law before the 103rd Congress (1993–1994) adjourned, and bills don't carry over to the next Congress. It would have to be reintroduced. You can still save it for reference, but it won't receive updates.
 Everywhere this bill has been 3 steps
Introduced
In committee
Reported out
Passed House
Passed Senate
To President
Became law
Jul 22, 1994
Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance.
Jun 30, 1994
Referred to the House Committee on Energy and Commerce.
Jun 30, 1994
Introduced in House
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 Latest action July 22, 1994

Referred to the Subcommittee on Telecommunications and Finance.

 Plain-English summary Congressional Research Service

Pioneer Preference Reform Act of 1994 - Amends the Communications Act of 1934 to require the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to: (1) prevent unjust enrichment of any person who makes significant contributions to the development of a new telecommunications service or technology; and (2) recover for the public a portion of the value of the public spectrum resource made available to such person. Terminates the FCC's authority to provide preferential treatment in licensing procedures (by precluding the filing of mutually exclusive applications) to such persons on September 30, 1998.

Directs the FCC to prescribe regulations specifying the procedures and criteria by which the FCC will evaluate applications for preferential treatment in licensing processes for such persons.

 Bill text 1 version

Source documents hosted by congress.gov.

 Committees of jurisdiction 2
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APA
U.S. Congress. (2026). H.R. 4700: Pioneer Preference Reform Act of 1994. 103rd Congress. Open America. https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-4700/
MLA
"H.R. 4700: Pioneer Preference Reform Act of 1994." 103rd Congress, 2026, Open America, https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-4700/.
Bluebook (legal)
H.R. 4700, 103rd Cong. (2026), https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-4700/.
Markdown link
[H.R. 4700: Pioneer Preference Reform Act of 1994](https://openamerica.io/bill/103-HR-4700/)
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