How to Actually Get Americans Online

[Commentary] Susan Crawford’s Jan. 24 New York Times Op-Ed, “How to Get America Online,” misses the mark. She ignores the reality in the United States and how we compare with the world.

The fact is that we have relied upon competition to drive innovation, choice, and growth here in the U.S. since the birth of the wireless industry. As a result, we've been a global leader without a centralized, government-driven and government-funded industrial policy. Rather than creating a host of new government-funded Internet service providers, innovation and growth would be better served by allocating more spectrum to commercial wireless service. Numerous engineers and experts, along with the FCC and policymakers, have read the independent reports that show consumer demand will outpace the wireless networks’ capacity soon. Carriers are using all of the tools and “tricks” available to keep up, but more spectrum is needed to meet demand. Fiber is one form of Internet access, but spectrum-based networks are another. What should be dear to her heart is that more spectrum also means a significant economic boost. By bringing 500 MHz of spectrum to market (as the FCC’s National Broadband Plan advocated), the U.S. will see an increase of: $166 billion in GDP; at least 350,000 new jobs; $23.4 billion in government revenues; and $13.1 billion in wireless applications and content sales.