GAO RECOMMENDS INDEPENDENT SPECTRUM MANAGEMENT COMMISSION
General Accounting Office (GAO) report released Mon., citing past govt. difficulties in resolving conflicts among spectrum users, called for independent federal commission to examine U.S. spectrum management. Report, requested by Sens. Hollings (D-S.C.) and Burns (R-Mont.), said NTIA and FCC already had stepped up communications on spectrum issues but “their different jurisdictional responsibilities appear likely to result in piecemeal efforts that lack the coordination to facilitate major policy changes.”
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Commerce Secy. Donald Evans and FCC Chmn. Powell told GAO in separate letters they would consider results of agency’s findings. Because neither agency agreed specifically to implement recommendation on independent commission, GAO said Congress might want to step in “to ensure that the question of whether overarching spectrum- management reform is needed is fully examined.” Report said that could take form of hearings or bill to create independent commission that would examine current U.S. spectrum management. Similar commissions have been created to examine Defense Dept. base closings and Amtrak reform, report said. Besides Burns, chmn. of Senate Communications Subcommittee, and Hollings, ranking Democrat on Commerce Committee, report also was requested by committee members Inouye (D-Hawaii) and Kerry (D-Mass.). First report in response to joint request was issued in Sept. and recommended FCC and NTIA carry out formal, joining planning activities toward national spectrum policy.
Report outlined initiatives FCC and NTIA had undertaken recently to revamp U.S. spectrum policy, including Commission’s Spectrum Policy Task Force, which released findings in Nov. NTIA also held spectrum management summit last year and both agencies have stepped up mutual communications efforts, culminating in memorandum of understanding signed Fri. But GAO stressed that no single agency had “ultimate decision-making authority over all spectrum in the United States or the authority to impose fundamental reform.” While NTIA and FCC have been working closely to resolve outstanding issues, “at times their resolution of key policy issues has been protracted and contentious,” report said. “FCC and NTIA may not be in the best position to conduct an overarching review of spectrum- management structure that would consider a full range of possible structural changes.”
Commission envisioned by report would have to be created by statute or Executive Order, but GAO recommended heads of FCC and NTIA, along with key officials of State Dept., Office of Management & Budget, Office of Science & Technology Policy and relevant congressional panels work on plan for commission. New group would assess “whether structural reform of our current system is needed.” Review would have time restrictions and goal of creating framework for implementing needed spectrum changes. In making case for independent commission, report said: “While spectrum reform is increasingly being discussed, debated and reviewed, it does not appear likely that timely reforms can be agreed upon amid the diversity of views held by stakeholders.”
GAO surveyed 20 agencies that were members of Interdepartment Radio Advisory Committee (IRAC). Of 17 that responded, 13 said all or most of their critical mission needs were being met with their existing spectrum holdings and 3 said some critical needs weren’t being met. Defense Dept. and Federal Emergency Management Agency said their missions hadn’t been compromised by lack of spectrum. But Justice Dept. said that in last few years, as use of wireless surveillance activities had risen, there had been “increased occurrences of interference.” Report said 15 of 17 respondents “felt they would have at least some difficulty meeting their future critical mission needs because of insufficient spectrum, whether or not they were meeting those needs at this time.”
“While a number of discussions and activities are under way to help ensure that future spectrum needs can be met, stakeholders appear to be having difficulty finding consensus that balances the needs of various interest groups,” report said. Regulatory actions designed to provide solutions often are “protracted,” it said. “Moreover, because of the bifurcated regulatory structure in the United States, an examination of whether an overarching redesign of spectrum management is required may best be undertaken by an entity independent of the 2 regulatory agencies currently involved.” In past, Presidents and Congress had named bipartisan commissions to tackle such issues, report said. In spectrum management, report noted that Commerce Secy. Herbert Hoover had created First Annual Radio Conference in 1922 to study interference caused by rise of radio broadcasting.