WCAI Symposium Panelists Discuss Universal Broadband Services, Spectrum Allocations

WCAI International Symposiumpanelists last week urged the federal government to inventory the way government and commercial frequencies are being used before deciding how much additional spectrum needs to be reallocated for 4G wireless services, according to TR Daily. Although most panelists did not want to suggest how much additional spectrum carriers would need, Mohammad Shakouri, corporate VP-innovation and marketing for WCAI member Alvarion, suggested each would need an additional 80 MHz to 100 MHz, and he said they will also need wide channels for “real broadband.” Jim Schlichting, senior deputy chief of the FCC’s Wireless Bureau, urged various parties to weigh in at workshops and elsewhere at the agency. “Up until this point, we’ve had a lot of folks saying we need more spectrum, but it’s been sorely lacking in specifics,” he said, including where to get the spectrum and what the demand will be. Mr. Schlichting said the FCC was becoming prepared to conduct an inventory of spectrum under its jurisdiction if congressional legislation passes, while Danny Weitzner, associate administrator-policy for the NTIA, said his agency, other executive branch agencies, and Capitol Hill were discussing the best way to conduct an inventory of government bands. He also cited the need to provide incentives for efficient spectrum use and for users to vacate spectrum.