FCC TASK FORCE MULLING SPECTRUM EFFICIENCY AND INCENTIVES
ORLANDO -- FCC Office of Engineering & Technology Chief Ed Thomas said one of spectrum questions he would like to see addressed in coming months was whether different rules applied to govt. and industry users. “One of the debates is, does the same set of rules apply to both government and industry,” he said in speech at IEEE Wireless Communications & Networking Conference here that was held alongside CTIA Wireless 2002. “Is it different in time of national emergency as opposed to normal times? There’s all sorts of debates that are extremely profound and have to be worked out.” Thomas told us later that question was among those he would like newly created Spectrum Policy Task Force at FCC to address. Commission plans to issue public notice seeking industry and govt. feedback on questions that task force should examine, he said.
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“Should the government hold itself accountable to the same set of rules that it makes industry accountable to? It’s got to be addressed,” Thomas told us, saying he didn’t want to prejudge that question: “There are arguments on both sides of that point.” Thomas, who took reins at OET earlier this year, declined to put question in context of any particular proceeding at FCC, but said he could envision scenarios involving military spectrum where issue would play out. Although he stressed he was speaking in broad terms, issue has come up in context of ultra-wideband proceeding. In that case, govt. operators are largest group of users, although agencies such as Defense Dept. and Dept. of Transportation have argued that commercial users should be held to strict limits to protect GPS and other critical safety-of-life systems. FCC approved what it called “conservative” UWB order at Feb. 14 agenda meeting.
“At the end of the day, there is a philosophical question that I believe over the next few months should be addressed and hopefully put to bed one way or another,” Thomas said. He expects spectrum task force headed by Paul Kolodzy to start addressing issue. “Whether it could be resolved in the context of this task force or whether it has to go elsewhere or to a higher place, I don’t want to prejudge,” he said.
Kolodzy told us task force could attempt to define some of metrics on issue “and how they apply in either case and what the pros and cons might be.” Some information in debate clearly would be protected by military security interests, Thomas said.
Among other questions Thomas has said he would like to see task force address is whether efficiency of spectrum use should be measured and, if so, how. “The first question is do you even want to do it,” he said. Kolodzy said particular use of band that’s being assessed also has to be part of such evaluation.