Amtrak’s Lessons for Access to the Airwaves

[Commentary] The precise cause of the tragic Amtrak derailment, which killed eight people and shut down train service along the busy Northeast Corridor, remains a mystery. Whatever the cause, the crash revealed some fundamental gaps in Amtrak’s safety system -- most notably the failure to deploy Positive Train Control (PTC) technology that would have automatically slowed or stopped the train once it exceeded the speed limit ahead of the curve where it jack-knifed off the rails. Although Congress mandated PTC technology seven years ago, Amtrak cited a lack of timely access to wireless spectrum (the public airwaves) for delays in implementing the safety system.

Spectrum refers to the wireless frequencies that power technologies ranging from FM radio and satellite communication to mobile phones and Wi-Fi routers. While increasingly critical to modern communications, spectrum -- and the rules that govern access to spectrum in the US -- rarely makes headline news. But following the Amtrak derailment, people are suddenly conscious of the fact that the nation’s policies on access to the airwaves will impact almost everything in their lives. Although there is no way to undo the tragedy of the derailed Amtrak commuter train north of Philadelphia (PA), more updated and forward-looking approaches to wireless connectivity and spectrum acquisition should be among the lessons learned by policymakers both inside and beyond government. As we move headlong into a world where virtually every system and device is connected and communicating, the stakes involved in getting spectrum policy right will only increase.