The Need For A More Complete Spectrum Allocation Policy
from the gotta-make-some-changes dept
The arguments over licensed vs. unlicensed wireless spectrum often seems quite boring even to those within the wireless industry. However, there are some very important decisions to be made. While we don’t think that (as some have advocated) we can simply get rid of the FCC and open up spectrum to everyone, it still seems that today’s gradual adjustments on spectrum allocation may be problematic as well. So far, it still doesn’t appear that the FCC has a real strategic plan for how to deal with spectrum questions – and there are plenty of questions. What’s becoming clear is that current spectrum allocation has been quite inefficient – and we’re now somewhat tied down by legacy allocation agreements (such as those that give broadcast TV a ridiculous amount of spectrum). As the article here states: “I’d like to see the discussion move from an exploration of how to make unlicensed devices such as wireless and municipal networking radios fit into leftover cracks of spectrum to a debate over whether and when we should more aggressively reallocate spectrum.” That, rather than focusing on dribbling out bits and pieces of spectrum, seems a lot more likely to spur real wireless broadband adoption – as well as other uses of the spectrum that we can’t even imagine today.
