Public Interest Groups Stress Unlicensed and Opportunistic Access to Spectrum

Representatives from Consumers Union, New America Foundation, Public Knowledge, and Media Access Project have been meeting with Federal Communications Commission staff to discuss a range of spectrum policy issues raised in the National Broadband Plan and in other proceedings currently pending at the FCC.

The representatives reiterated positions set forth in their joint and individual filings regarding the importance of both unlicensed and opportunistic access to spectrum. In particular, the representatives urged the FCC to consider establishing for unlicensed use, as part of the Commission's spectrum reallocation efforts pursuant to the National Broadband Plan, a contiguous band of substantial size located below 3 GHz. Such an allocation would permit continued innovation and investment in broadband communications technologies, generating tremendous consumer welfare akin to and potentially surpassing the value generated by WiFi. The also emphasized that making more spectrum available for unlicensed and opportunistic use would ease congestion experienced by licensees and ultimate end-users of licensed spectrum.