How Much More Spectrum Do We Need?

There's no bigger question facing Julius Genachowski than how to allocate the country's wireless spectrum. His first major task as chairman of the Federal Communications Commission will be to develop the national broadband strategy that is required under the new stimulus law. A number of factors are pushing up demand for wireless capacity, including the rapid adoption of smartphones, new applications and unlimited-use pricing plans. Over the next two years, we are going to see more and faster wireless service from AT&T and Verizon. Those companies just won a large portion of the spectrum the government auctioned off last year that is being abandoned as television stations switch to their new digital frequencies. A lot of telecom experts are wondering whether those added frequencies will offer enough capacity. They note that a great deal of the spectrum now allocated to government and military uses might well be able to be converted to consumer broadband. Of course, this not only would require action by the FCC, but also a willingness by the current owner of those frequencies to give them up. And what agency wants to lose rights to something that probably never can be reclaimed-even if it is hardly being used today?