The Technology Policy Institute urged creation of a “Government...
The Technology Policy Institute urged creation of a “Government Spectrum Ownership Corporation,” or GSOC, to manage federal spectrum use, in comments filed Thursday at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy. Comments were due Thursday on a Feb.…
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14 request for information from OSTP (http://1.usa.gov/1l7jXkR). “There is a widespread consensus that spectrum in government hands is likely not being used efficiently and that some -- perhaps a significant amount -- could be reallocated to more efficient private uses,” TPI said. “However, efforts to determine the extent of this ’surplus’ and then to devise a method of freeing it from government hands confront a dilemma: the absence of a market mechanism, or even a budgetary mechanism, that could encourage this reallocation.” Its proposed GSOC is one answer, TPI said (http://bit.ly/1d3ZISf). “The GSOC would take possession of all government-held spectrum, with the existing user agencies granted annual leases (that are perpetually renewable at the option of the agency) at annual rental rates that are determined by the GSOC, based on its estimates of the relevant opportunity costs,” TPI said. “The GSOC would forward its net proceeds to the Treasury.” OSTP plans to post comments it receives on its website after reviewing them to ensure that no sensitive personal or proprietary information is posted, a spokeswoman said Thursday. CEA also supports government efforts to make more federal spectrum available for wireless broadband, President Gary Shapiro said Thursday. “As Americans use more and more smart, connected devices, we must have enough spectrum for them to communicate with their surroundings and with each other,” Shapiro said in a news release. “Unfortunately, our nation is running out of wireless spectrum. We have to find new ways to meet the ever-growing demand for broadband services and applications. Making federal spectrum available for commercial use is critical to addressing our nation’s spectrum needs."