FCC Considering Revision to NBP Spectrum Projections
The FCC will continue to monitor how much spectrum the wireless industry needs, and could offer some new projections over the next year or so, Wireless Bureau Chief Rick Kaplan said Tuesday at a Free State Foundation conference. On the two-year anniversary of the National Broadband Plan last week, Blair Levin, manager of the plan, and Commissioner Robert McDowell both called for another look at spectrum projections (CD March 19 p1).
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The NBP already calls for the government to take another look at spectrum at the three-year point, Kaplan noted. The plan “talks about after three years we should do that,” he said. “It’s built into the plan itself.” FCC staff is already deeply concerned about industry spectrum needs, Kaplan said. “I'll tell you, we almost daily think about this issue,” he said. “We functionally are doing that anyway.” Kaplan warned against focusing too much on whether 500 MHz in 10 years, the goal in the NBP, is realistic, or even the right goal. “It’s a goal. That’s what we're shooting for and I don’t want it to disappear,” he said. “If you're constantly updating your goal you're wasting time.” Time is better spent focusing on federal spectrum.
Verizon Executive Vice President Tom Tauke said he met with his staff Tuesday morning to ask them to focus on what frequencies the government should make available 25 years down the road. “We should be thinking 25 years ahead, because it takes 10 years on average to get from the point where you identify the spectrum to the point it’s actually going to be auctioned,” he said. “Sometimes it’s going to take a lot longer because of all the clearing that needs to be done.” The government should be focused on goals and should be looking at 750 MHz that could be converted to use for broadband if it wants to clear 500 MHz, Tauke said. “Some of it you won’t get,” he said. “If we aren’t thinking that way, we're going to be managing spectrum shortages."
Tauke told us trying to get the federal government to agree to move its wireless operations, freeing up key bands for broadband, including 1755-1780 MHz, won’t be easy. “You have to get players who really don’t have a lot of incentive to give up spectrum to actually make a change,” he said. “It may be that we just need leadership from the White House to say to various entities within the government that this is a priority for the country so we have to work through the process of moving people to different bands of spectrum. … It’s going to take strong leadership and it’s going to take a lot of work.” NTIA is “doing good work,” but has a tough job convincing the Department of Defense to come to the table, Tauke said. “It really does take a concerted political effort -- Congress, the White House, those with the political clout … to get in there and do the hard work."
Kaplan said making more spectrum available is important to competition. “One thing that will solve a lot of our problems in the short term is freeing up more spectrum,” he said. “Getting more spectrum out there takes care of a lot of competitive issues."