Public Knowledge blasted the , released prior to a Friday spectrum hearing before the House Energy and Commerce Committee's communications subcommittee.

The draft bill would set out rules on how the U.S. Federal Communications Commission could auction spectrum from U.S. television stations, government agencies and other sources. The FCC, in its March 2010 national broadband plan, identified several sources of spectrum that could be turned over for auctions to mobile broadband providers, who say they are facing spectrum shortages.

But the Republican proposal would create several problems, Public Knowledge said. It would exempt the winners of future spectrum auctions from net neutrality rules that the FCC passed late last year, and it would allow television stations that give up spectrum to ask the FCC for a waiver of any agency regulations such as media ownership limits. The TV stations could ask for the regulation waivers in lieu of sharing in the proceeds of a spectrum auction.

"Until now, communications law has never been publicly put up for sale," Harold Feld, Public Knowledge's legal director, said in an e-mail. "This draft bill would do that by allowing broadcasters to choose which rules they will follow and which rules they won't if they sell their broadcast spectrum at auction."

In addition, the Republican proposal would require prospective users of unlicensed spectrum to bid in auctions going forward. That requirement would make it difficult for the FCC to create any new unlicensed spectrum, said Art Brodsky, Public Knowledge's spokesman.