Remarks of Commissioner Rosenworcel, CTIA 2013 - The Mobile Marketplace

Speaking at a CTIA conference, Federal Communications Commission member Jessica Rosenworcel offered ideas to inform wireless policies going forward.

1. Consumers come first. We should continue to work to help prevent bill shock; help deter the sale of stolen cell phones; make contracts and bills more clear; and clean up wireless cramming.
2. Simplicity is the path to successful incentive auctions. The success of incentive auctions is built on three simple goals—making it attractive and easy for those who want to return their spectrum; treating broadcasters that want to stay on their air fairly under the law; and raising enough revenue to support a national interoperable, wireless broadband public safety network.
3. An open auction process matters. Hold public hearings to explore the four major aspects of the auctions—the reverse auction, the repacking, the forward auction, and the transition process.
4. Have a 600 MHz bandplan in place by the third quarter of this year.
5. Auction the 65 megahertz identified in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act in the third quarter of 2014—and all at once. By auctioning these bands in a single auction we can generate more interest, and get a head start on funding the public safety network.
6. Hold the incentive auction in the fourth quarter of 2014. This gives carriers time to reassess their spectrum needs following the traditional auction of 65 megahertz of spectrum identified in the law.
7. Auction 2155-2180 MHz along with the right to work with the federal incumbents in the 1755-1780 MHz band. This raises the value of the 2155-2180 MHz band and creates opportunity for specific parties to negotiate with federal users.
8. Sharing the repacking methodology by the end of the year will enhance transparency.
9. To help unpack the issues in the repacking process along the border, the Commission should convene an international working group, including minds from the federal side, state side, industry, and public.
10. Our federal spectrum policy needs to be built on carrots, not sticks. Across government, we need to consider incentives for more efficient use of federal spectrum. We must find ways for agencies to see gain and not just loss from commercial reallocation.