Breathtaking progress with wireless networks

[Commentary] We have a structural problem with spectrum policy in the US. Government use is overseen by one agency -- National Telecommunications and Information Administration -- while commercial use is managed by the Federal Communications Commission, a much more powerful agency. Combining spectrum responsibilities into a single agency with more say over government usage, independence from agency lobbying, and incentives to improve overall value is the only way to shift spectrum from government to public use. The math is compelling: technology will increase spectrum efficiency by 100 times, and small cells will triple or quadruple that number; government needs to triple it again simply by using the tools the private sector has provided. That shouldn’t be too hard, even for Washington.

Beyond the reallocation of the spectrum we use today, technology offers some easy opportunities for policymakers in frequency bands that aren’t heavily used. For example, the 10 GHz band is useful for wireless backhaul and possibly for some mobile uses, although there are questions about its value for battery-powered devices. The 60 GHz band is extremely useful for very short distance but highly data intensive multi-media scenarios around entertainment systems. The application of new technology to millimeter wave frequencies can increase their efficiency, and there are opportunities to use frequencies below today’s TV band for sensors and other Internet of Things devices. The opportunities are boundless, and the future belongs to the bold. Spectrum policy would do well to take a page from the engineer’s playbook and make planning for progress a deliberate and ongoing activity.