The opportunity: New political regime should focus on telecom policies

[Commentary] In the same way national security became the common denominator of public policy in the Bush administration following the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks, economic growth is apt to be the common thread running though the Obama White House, the Democratic-led Congress and a new-look Federal Communications Commission in coming years. During the 1990s, when the Clinton-Gore administration held sway, spectrum auctions became a politically painless way to raise billions of dollars for the U.S. Treasury and generate economic activity through unprecedented wireless buildout. Auctions are not supposed to be just about money, but they mostly are. There will be less spectrum for bidding in the Obama administration, though perhaps it could be persuaded to again tap into the federal government's inventory of radio frequencies for transfer to the private sector. How about spectrum fees, an idea routinely shot down with little fanfare in one presidential budget after another? Policymakers in the new political regime should focus on telecom policies that spur innovation, create new wealth, promote vibrant competition and, perhaps most importantly, embrace an interdisciplinary approach that views information technology (wireless and broadband, in particular) not as an end in itself but as a means to lift all ships — public safety, business, health care, education, energy independence, government transparency and so on. It is an opportunity waiting to be seized.