FCC auction critical: It will determine broadband's future

FCC AUCTION CRITICAL: IT WILL DETERMINE BROADBAND'S FUTURE
[SOURCE: Newhouse News Service, AUTHOR: Katherine Reynolds Lewis]
There's about to be a land rush in telecommunications as the U.S. government auctions the only remaining airwaves suitable for nationwide, high-speed wireless Web access. Big telephone and cable companies are jostling alongside Internet and technology entrepreneurs to control the spectrum, estimated to be worth as much as $30 billion. "It's the biggest chunk of spectrum to come back into the public administration in a generation and it's by far the most valuable piece," said Ben Scott, policy director at Free Press. What's at stake? The auction winners will determine whether American homes, businesses and classrooms have access to a third "pipe" for high-speed Internet, not to mention better reception and innovative services for mobile phones and other devices. The spectrum is ideally suited to wireless communications because the frequencies are high enough to carry large amounts of data, but low enough to penetrate walls and travel long distances - meaning fewer towers are required for a network.
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