Finding a Creative Spectrum Solution

Last Wednesday, the Federal Communications Commission released a Public Notice seeking comment on a variety of aspects and uses of the television broadcast spectrum. Until now, the discussion has been somewhat binary and predictable. Many broadcasters want to simply maintain the status quo, and many wireless broadband proponents (licensed and unlicensed) would like most or all of that spectrum to become available to them. In order to explore potential solutions, however, the discourse needs to become more constructive and more creative. The National Broadband Task Force has been charged with identifying and exploring ways to deliver robust broadband to everyone, and mobile broadband is an essential part of the solution. But mobile broadband won't advance unless we can find spectrum to avoid crippling network congestion in the future. For better or for worse, broadcasters occupy one of the most attractive bands for mobile broadband applications, and we have an obligation to Congress, and to the needs of the country, to explore that spectrum's evolutionary potential. Thus, the real question that broadcasters should be asking themselves is "How can we best become part of a mobile broadband solution?"