Convergence Will Complicate Regulation, Definition of '4G,' State Regulators Told

With $7.2 billion in stimulus funds soon to be available for broadband service - and with the transition to digital television freeing huge swaths of spectrum - wireless communication could be poised for some technological advances. Wireless providers are engaged in a rush to deploy next-generation mobile networks as more Americans "cut the cord" from their wired phone and Internet services, posing unique challenges for state regulators. For state regulatory commissioners gathered for the National Association of Regulatory Utility Commissions winter meeting, defining and regulating the so-called "4G" networks will pose unique challenges. The convergence of mobile devices and the Internet has made the definition of 4G services "nebulous at best," Fierce Markets strategic advisor Carl Ford told the group during a presentation on Saturday morning. Showing a slide of a Wikipedia definition of 4G, Ford took issue with the common assumption that the term is simply an extension of current wireless technology. Internet protocol-based applications and services will dominate the next generation of wireless, regardless of the frequencies or underlying technology used, Ford said.