Deputy CTO Power, FCC's McDowell Spar, At a Distance, Over Spectrum

Tom Power, the U.S. Deputy Chief Technology Officer for Telecommunications, agrees with critics who want to see federal agencies move faster in identifying spectrum to be turned over for use under the National Broadband Plan. One of those critics is Federal Communications Commission member Robert McDowell.

On C-Span’s "The Communicators," Commissioner McDowell suggested that the problem of the slow pace of federal spectrum givebacks could be solved with an executive order. Commissioner McDowell was also dubious of the $18 billion figure that's been tossed around as the total cost of federal spectrum reallocation, suggesting that agencies might be hyping costs. Part of the problem, Power said, is that the government is hamstrung in finding ways to create incentives for bureaucrats to relinquish spectrum - especially considering that some of those spectrum managers might innovate themselves out of a job by doing so. By contrast, Power observed, "Industry has the luxury of working in the free market." Power didn't comment on whether the $18 billion figure was high, and said that in any event, the true cost would be scored by the Office of Management and Budget down the road.