FCC Focus on Net Neutrality Ignores Bigger Problem

From the ATR website.

Over the past year, the Federal Communications Commission spent much of its time and energy crafting completely unnecessary Net neutrality Internet regulations, while drastically more important policies for advancing technology and telecommunications sat on the sidelines.

Perhaps the most important issue ignored by the government is increasing the amount of spectrum available for mobile broadband.

Consumer demand for data on cell phones, tablets, and laptops is growing at 250 percent per year, but the FCC has moved at snail's pace to free up wireless spectrum to deliver it.

As a result, FCC inaction to liberate spectrum and inefficient control and use of spectrum by other federal agencies are precipitating a “spectrum crunch.”

Digital Liberty, a special project of ATR, has released a new policy paper called “Liberating Spectrum: Reforming Government Control of Spectrum to Expand Mobile Broadband.”

The paper calls for freeing spectrum from government agency control, auctioning off unused spectrum, and using incentive auctions to free up other spectrum currently held by the private sector. The revenue collected through such auctions can pay down deficits or improve technology in public safety.