CCA-Commissioned Study Touts Potential Economic Impact of Airwaves Act
The Advancing Innovation and Reinvigorating Widespread Access to Viable Electromagnetic Spectrum (Airwaves) Act could generate up to $2.86 billion in rural wireless broadband investments, the Competitive Carriers Association said Wednesday. The bill aims to identify spectrum for unlicensed use and…
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free up mid-band spectrum for wireless industry purchase via a future FCC auction (see 1802070054). CCA and other telecom groups back HR-4953/S-1682, which have bipartisan support. A CCA-commissioned study, by Telecom Advisory Services, said an estimated short-term infrastructure investment of up to $2.86 billion would happen if it becomes law. Telecom Advisory Services President Raul Katz said he used in calculations the investment and economic impacts resulting from the 2016 600 MHz band incentive auction and other recent auctions, plus other recent spectrum transactions like Verizon's purchase of Straight Path, as benchmarks. “If enacted before other auctions, including the 3.5 GHz and 3.7-4.2 GHz bands, this bill could have an even greater impact,” said CCA President Steve Berry. "This study confirms that passage of the AIRWAVES Act could result in billions of additional dollars for rural broadband buildout and substantially increase GDP across various economic sectors," said Sen. Cory Gardner, R-Colo., one of S-1682's lead sponsors, in a statement. Fellow lead S-1682 sponsor Sen. Maggie Hassan, D-N.H., said she will "keep working to move this legislation forward in order to turn the potential positive economic impact of this bill into a reality."