Government Spectrum Use ‘Can’t Just Be Uprooted,’ Says NTIA’s Nebbia
Federal government spectrum users can’t easily be relocated to make way for commercial uses, said NTIA Office of Spectrum Management Associate Administrator Karl Nebbia Tuesday. “These systems can’t just be uprooted.” Government and commercial uses would have to learn to share the same spectrum, Nebbia said in a Washington Post-organized panel. “Sharing is the new reality."
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Officials from T-Mobile, NAB and AT&T said the FCC and NTIA should clear up the question of the amount of government-controlled spectrum by inventorying it. “To have a smart overall spectrum policy, you have to know what you have,” said NAB Executive Vice President-Strategic Planning Rick Kaplan. Larry Irving, former NTIA chief and now president of the Irving Group, said there was momentum building in Congress to request an inventory of spectrum use. “We don’t know how much we have. We don’t know who’s using it,” said Irving. “At some point, Congress and the Senate are going to get engaged.”
Nebbia and Department of Defense Chief Information Officer Teri Takai said much of the government’s use of spectrum involves sensitive uses that cannot easily be changed or moved, such as weather satellites, designed to remain in orbit and locked into using a particular band. Nebbia and Takai also spoke at CSMAC Tuesday (see separate report). Nebbia said it would be difficult to change the spectrum those satellites use. Takai said much of DOD’s use of spectrum is involved with important training exercises, which have to be done in the U.S., near military bases. She said that while DOD is “certainly open to spectrum sharing,” she doesn’t believe it will free up much spectrum in the most populated areas, “where the demand is.”
The FCC doesn’t need to wait for an inventory of commercial and government spectrum use to proceed with the incentive auction, said Commissioner Ajit Pai. He said the auction needed to be completed in a reasonable time, “whether or not we have a granular inventory.” Asked about competition in the auction, Pai said imposing limits on how much spectrum large carriers such as AT&T can purchase could lead to not enough revenue being collected. Kaplan, former Wireless Bureau chief, isn’t sure the wireless industry needed increased competition, he said. “I'm not sure the wireless industry can support a bunch of regional players."
Several industry officials said more government spectrum hasn’t been freed up because of NTIA inaction. “There should be a sense of urgency at NTIA,” said David Don, Comcast senior director-public policy. Cicconi and T-Mobile USA Senior Vice President Tom Sugrue said government agencies should be motivated to make better use of their spectrum. “It would be great to create some incentives for federal uses,” said Sugrue.
Takai said she would support an inventory of government spectrum, saying that it might spur the process of deciding what to do with federal agencies’ spectrum. “We'd like to get some of those decisions made,” said Takai. “If we're going to talk about relocating federal systems … we have to know where we're going to go,” Nebbia said.