[1st-mile-nm] How to Sell the Airwaves

[Richard Lowenberg]

The FCC is preparing to auction a portion of the EM spectrum, formerly
used for broadcast television, for new wireless applications; a process
that is filled with controversy.   The following article offers a good
overview on this issue.
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HOW TO SELL THE AIRWAVES?
[SOURCE: Washington Post, AUTHOR: Kim Hart]

The airwaves that carry billions of calls, text messages and e-mails
have become one of the hottest corporate properties. Not only are
they in demand by a nation of 240 million mobile-phone users, they
are also in short supply. Soon, one of the last available sections of
airwaves -- and one of the most attractive -- will be sold, and the
issue of how to manage that sale has become the focus of debate. The
Federal Communications Commission is overseeing the auction of a
portion of the radio frequency spectrum once used by television
broadcasters, and this week drafted rules for the sale. The auction,
scheduled for January, is expected to raise at least $15 billion,
with bidders ranging from start-ups to established phone companies.
Companies and policymakers have different ideas on how to allocate
the airwaves. The battle pits software firms against traditional
telecom carriers, Republican commissioners against Democratic, and
phone companies against cable companies. To complicate matters,
police and other public safety organizations also have a stake in the
auction as they push for a national network that would allow all
first responders to communicate with each other.

<http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/12/
AR2007071202221.html>


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Richard Lowenberg
P.O.Box 8001, Santa Fe, NM 87504
505-989-9110,  505-603-5200 cell

New Mexico Broadband Initiative
www.1st-mile.com
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