FCC may redraw spectrum allocations in broadband plan

A Federal Communications Commission director suggested the agency is exploring new ways to use a swath of spectrum to serve multiple users including utilities building smart electric grids as part of a national broadband plan the FCC will release March 17.

"Just looking at data growth for iPhones and other devices, you can see broadband in America will increasingly be a wireless solution, so spectrum will be a core issue we will be handling in the national broadband plan," said Nick Sinai, director of energy and environment on the National Broadband Task Force at the FCC.

Canadian regulators recently set aside spectrum around 1.8 GHz for utilities building smart grids. At the Grid ComForum where the FCC official spoke, a handful of vendors discussed their use of cellular Wi-Fi, WiMax as well as 900 and 700 MHz links for smart grid projects. Sinai said the FCC held discussions with Canadian regulators, but suggested their solution was not well suited to the U.S. for several reasons. The U.S. has a much higher population and a more complex set of existing commercial networks regulated by the FCC and federal networks regulated by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration.