Removing Barriers to Wireless Broadband

On June 28, 2006, the Senate Commerce Committee approved wide-ranging (and highly-contentious) telecommunications legislation which is now awaiting action on the Senate floor. The Advanced Telecommunications Opportunity and Reform Act (HR 5252) includes two key sections meant to remove barriers to rural and municipal wireless broadband networks. Title VI would open up much-needed — and currently unused — TV spectrum for use by unlicensed wireless broadband devices, and Title V would lift state-level restrictions on municipal broadband networks.

Across the country, local governments, nonprofit community groups, campuses and thousands of start-up commercial providers are already deploying wireless broadband networks on unlicensed spectrum to enhance government efficiency and public safety, and to extend affordable high-speed access to homes, businesses, and schools. However, rural and muni wireless broadband providers in particular need more and better access to the airwaves in order to achieve the goal of universally affordable and pervasive connectivity.

This Capitol Hill event offered a variety of perspectives on how freeing up unused TV spectrum and asserting local telecommunications freedom are vital steps to fostering broadband deployment—and how rural areas, small businesses, educational institutions, local governments, and consumers stand to benefit.

The event also marked the release of two New America Foundation papers:

• Populating the Vacant Channels, by Pierre de Vries, former Senior Director of Advanced Technology Policy at Microsoft, affirms that an unlicensed allocation of the TV white space would be the most productive way to use this currently wasted spectrum, spurring technical and commercial innovation.
• Why Unlicensed Use of Vacant TV Spectrum Will Not Interfere with Television Reception, authored by three of the nation’s most respected spectrum engineers, explains why the use of “smart radios,” in combination with the conventional FCC rulemaking and device testing process, will be adequate to protect DTV viewers from harmful interference.

Attachments

• Speaker Bios (PDF, 3pp.)
• Pierre de Vries Remarks (PDF, 4pp.)
• Leonard Scott Remarks (PDF, 6pp.)
• AllCoNet FEMA Award Info (PDF, 5pp.)
• Wendy Wigen Remarks (PDF, 2pp.)
• Brian O’Hara Remarks (PDF, 2pp.)

New America papers distributed at this event:

• Populating the Vacant Channels: The Case for Allocating Unused Spectrum in the Digital TV Bands to Unlicensed Use for Broadband and Wireless Innovation
  Working Paper by Pierre de Vries, former Senior Director of Advanced Technology Policy at Microsoft
• Why Unlicensed Use of Vacant TV Spectrum Will Not Interfere with Television Reception
  Issue Brief by Michael J. Marcus, Paul Kolodzy, and Andy Lippman
• Reclaiming the Vast Wasteland: The Economic Case for Re-allocating the Unused Spectrum (White Space) Between TV Channels 2 and 51 to Unlicensed Service
  Issue Brief by J.H. Snider
• Measuring the TV “White Space” Available for Unlicensed Wireless Broadband
  Fact Sheet by New America Foundation and Free Press
• Examples of Consumer Benefits from “TV White Spaces” Legislation
  Backgrounder by New America Foundation and High-Tech Coalition
• Myth vs. Fact: The Rhetoric and Reality of Progress in Allocating More Spectrum for Unlicensed Use
  Fact Sheet by J.H. Snider
• Wireless Public Safety Data Networks Operating on Unlicensed Airwaves
  Policy Backgrounder by Naveen Lakshmipathy

Location

253 Russell Senate Office Building

Washington, DC, 20510

See map: Google Maps

Participants

• Lisa Sutherland
  Majority Staff Director, Senate Commerce Committee
• Pierre de Vries
  Senior Fellow, USC Annenberg School for Communication
  Former Senior Director of Advanced Technology Policy, Microsoft Corp.
• Leonard Scott
  MIS Unit Manager
  Corpus Christi (TX) Digital Community Development Corporation
• Brian O’Hara
  Government Affairs Representative
  National Telecommunications Cooperative Association (NTCA)
• Roger Cochetti
  Group Director, U.S. Public Policy, CompTIA
• Jeff Blank
  Chief Technology Officer, CONXX
  Creator, Allegany County (MD) Network (AllCoNet)
• Wendy Wigen
  Policy Analyst, EDUCAUSE
• Paul Kolodzy
  Former Chair, FCC Spectrum Policy Task Force

NOTE: Sens. Stevens, Allen, Sununu, Boxer, and Kerry (co-sponsors of Title VI / TV white space provision) were also invited to speak.

Moderator

• Michael Calabrese
  Vice President & Director, Wireless Future Program
  New America Foundation