A new season of FrequencyPULSE begins!
This week’s timely question: As the 118th Congress is set to begin, what do members — new and established — need to know about balanced spectrum policy?
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If we want to keep advancing in our use of spectrum, a good spectrum policy is essential. It is akin to real estate. All homes and buildings are built on a good foundation. Take away the good foundation, and the buildings become unstable or fall. The same is true of the limited resource of spectrum. Take away good, balanced and effective spectrum policy, and you have a teetering capacity to achieve new things and threaten what we have. It’s vital to have (and understand) a balanced spectrum policy.
RICHARD BERNHARDT
Senior Director, Spectrum and Industry
Wireless Internet Service Providers Association (WISPA)
Members of Congress should request information and briefings to learn about why spectrum is critical for the deployment of broadband services. Some may be surprised to learn that spectrum enables some wireless service providers to serve communities that would otherwise go unserved. Additionally, I would urge Congress to work closely with the FCC to give them long-lasting authority to auction spectrum with a mandate to invest the proceeds into programs that help get and keep people connected.
RYAN JOHNSTON
Senior Policy Counsel
Next Century Cities
The availability of both licensed and unlicensed spectrum is critical to maintaining America’s global leadership in telecommunications and technology. With the highly successful spectrum auctions of the past 5 years, many in Congress see licensed spectrum as a higher priority, more because it is a money-maker for the federal coffers, whereas unlicensed spectrum may not get enough attention because it isn’t “sexy” enough. However, there must be a balance maintained between licensed and unlicensed spectrum.
Currently, the federal government holds around 3300 MHz of spectrum. There are 1,910 MHz allocated for unlicensed use, and 270 MHz of licensed spectrum, which is expected to reach 450 MHz by the end of 2023. To build a spectrum pipeline that will meet future needs, Congress must require the NTIA and the FCC to work together to develop a forward-thinking plan of action to review unused and underused federally held spectrum and to make this underutilized spectrum available for future auctions as well as reallocation for Wi-Fi use, while ensuring the needs of incumbent users are protected.
DEBORAH COLLIER
Executive Director of the Innovation & Technology Policy Center
Vice President of Policy and Government Affairs
Citizens Against Government Waste
It’s good bipartisan policy to look for opportunities to make both licensed and unlicensed spectrum available. Congress should recognize the FCC’s long track record of successfully stewarding spectrum and make sure it’s able to continue this work.
KRISTIAN STOUT
Director of Innovation Policy
International Center for Law & Economics
A balanced spectrum policy recognizes the benefits of both licensed and unlicensed services, in the low, mid and high band frequencies. While licensed spectrum can generate billions in proceeds for the U.S. Treasury and other government priorities, according to CTA research, unlicensed spectrum generates $95.8 billion per year in incremental sales value. As demand for high-speed data continues to grow, driven in part by cutting-edge innovations, like AR/VR, precision agriculture and AI, Congress can put forward a long-term extension of the FCC’s auction authority, support continued spectrum sharing and greater spectrum efficiency.
J. DAVID GROSSMAN
Vice President of Regulatory Affairs
Consumer Technology Association (CTA)®
Both licensed and unlicensed spectrum are needed to fuel American innovation and connectivity. A roadmap is required for both. Enterprises, consumers and mobile/broadband subscribers want their devices and applications to work effectively. Industry is working hard to that effect, but we need the spectrum to make it happen.
CHRISTOPHER SZYMANSKI
Director, Product Marketing | Technology Strategy
Broadcom Inc.
We always welcome input: tweet us to join this conversation. We’ll even feature your thoughtful submissions right here in a future piece.
If you’re new, catch up on everything FrequencyPULSE thus far. If you know someone who might appreciate learning about Wi-Fi and unlicensed spectrum, have them sign up for FrequencyPULSE here!
- What does the Biden Administration need to know about balanced spectrum policy? (Oct. 28, 2021)
- Wi-Fi 6 and cellular—are these two technologies interdependent or will one eventually replace the other? (Nov. 11, 2021)
- Wi-Fi and dynamic sharing spectrum policy remain one of the few places in tech policy that bipartisanship lives on. Why do you think that is? (Dec. 2, 2021)
- The origin story of Wi-Fi is an interesting one, invented in the “junk bands” in our airwaves more than two decades ago. What does this tell us about how we design our spectrum policies today? (Dec. 16, 2021)
- Wi-Fi was born in the United States and the industry is generally dominated by American companies. How does future-looking spectrum policy account for American competitiveness here? What lessons can we take into the future? (Jan. 6, 2022)
- How can good spectrum policy help to address the digital divide? (Jan. 21, 2022)
- Last year, the FCC voted unanimously to split the 5.9 GHz band between connected cars and unlicensed uses like Wi-Fi. What was the significance of this decision? (Feb. 4, 2022)
- In 2020, the FCC voted to unlock a big swath of spectrum in the 6 GHz band for use by Wi-Fi. How will this decision affect consumers? (Feb. 17, 2022)
- What’s an example of an unlicensed-run device that you personally use, and how has it improved your life? (Apr. 21, 2022)
- How has the CBRS model worked out thus far? Would this model be successful in any other bands in particular? (May 5, 2022)
- Is auctioning spectrum the best way to ensure fair use of our precious airwaves? (May 19, 2022)
- The next generation of Wi-Fi — Wi-Fi 7 — will be even faster and provide even lower latency. But it will operate in wide 320 MHz channels, which are hard to come by. Where might we look for such airwaves? (June 2, 2022)
- What further rules will be necessary in the 6 GHz band to make the best of this ecosystem? (June 16, 2022)
- How do you want to see the FCC and NTIA work together on spectrum policy? (June 30, 2022)
- What must happen to ensure agencies like DOT, the FAA and the FCC better collaborate to avoid pitfalls like the 5G vs. C-band issue? (July 14, 2022)