Save the Date for the WCAI’s Wireless Policy Summit!

As the new Administration is acting on its commitment to bring broadband access to all Americans, we at WCAI are organizing a Wireless Policy Summit to examine the role of wireless in achieving universal broadband access at affordable prices. A premier event for the wireless broadband industry, the Summit will offer an open forum for exchange of ideas and presents an ideal opportunity to meet face-to-face with top decision-makers who are shaping the future of the industry in 2009 and beyond. Come join key officials from government and industry as they debate such critical issues as:

• Wireless and the Broadband Stimulus Package

• The Role of Wireless in Universal Broadband Access

• Application of Net Neutrality Principals to Wireless Broadband Networks

• Reforming Spectrum Management: What’s Next?

• Building a Wireless Broadband Network for Public Safety

The Summit will be held May 5-6, 2009 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Washington, DC, with May 6 being reserved for member-only activities. More information is available on our website.

We look forward to seeing you in May!

WCAI Congratulates Michael Copps on Nomination as Interim FCC Chair

President Barack Obama today nominated Michael Copps to be the acting Chairman of the FCC.

I had the privilege of working with Commissioner Copps for a number of years, while at the FCC. His nomination is a well-deserved recognition of dedication and an outstanding record of public service. A strong advocate for achieving universal broadband access in the United States, Commissioner Copps is a long-time friend of the WCAI and of the wireless broadband industry.

We at WCAI congratulate Commissioner Copps on his nomination and look forward to continuing to work with him and the FCC to accelerate wireless broadband deployment.

Farewell to Chairman Martin

At today’s FCC meeting, Chairman Kevin J. Martin announced that he is leaving the FCC on January 20, 2009.

I had the privilege of working for Chairman Martin for a number of years. During that time, I came to admire his many virtues, especially his courage – his willingness to make difficult and sometimes unpopular decisions because it serves the public interest. That is real leadership.

Through that leadership, Chairman Martin quite literally transformed the wireless broadband industry. When his tenure began, there was approximately 200 MHz of licensed wireless spectrum suitable for wireless broadband services. While Chairman, he tripled that amount, making approximately another 400 MHz of licensed spectrum available for wireless broadband.

• In 2006, he made available 90 MHz of spectrum in the AWS-1 band, which resulted in a new nationwide entrant and almost 14 billion dollars in auction revenue.

• That same year, he also completed the BRS/EBS rules that made available almost 200 MHz of spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band, which is driving WiMAX deployment in the U.S. today.

• In 2007, he auctioned 62 MHz of spectrum in the 700 MHz band that resulted in over 19 billion dollars in auction revenue, as much as all previous FCC auctions combined.

• Also that year he made another 50 MHz of spectrum available in the 3650 MHz band on an innovative, “lightly licensed” basis for WiMAX and other technologies.

This year he greatly expanded the amount of unlicensed spectrum available for wireless broadband by unleashing the Digital Television white spaces.

Any one of these actions alone could be considered a crowning achievement in wireless for any FCC Chairman. Taken together, they leave a legacy that will likely never be matched.

On behalf of WCAI, I thank Chairman Martin for his unparalleled leadership and wish him all the best.

Best wishes to Commissioner Tate

At the FCC’s meeting last week, Commissioner Tate announced her departure from the FCC. On behalf of WCAI, I thank her for her exemplary public service. I will certainly miss her.

Commissioner Tate fulfilled her office with uncommon grace. She was always quick to thank Commission staff for their tireless efforts, to recognize the contributions of her colleagues, and try to find consensus on difficult issues. She also was an indefatigable advocate for children and families, persons with disabilities, and a lighter regulatory approach. It was truly an honor to work with her at the Commission, and I wish her all the best in her new endeavors.

WCAI Applauds President-elect Obama

It was heartening to hear President-elect Barack Obama address the nation on Dec 6 and express his commitment to broadband deployment. “Here, in the country that invented the internet, every child should have the chance to get online, and they’ll get that chance when I’m President – because that’s how we’ll strengthen America’s competitiveness in the world,” said President-elect Obama. At WCAI, we believe wireless must be part of that commitment, and we look forward to working with the new Administration and incoming Congress on these issues in the coming year.

WCAI Joins Diverse Group of Organizations in a Call to Action for a National Broadband Strategy

WCAI was part of a broad and diverse group that this week released a Call to Action for President-elect Barack Obama and the incoming Congress "to make the development and initial implementation of a comprehensive National Broadband Strategy a high national priority in 2009." The group also includes prominent industry players, such as WCAI Board members Alcatel-Lucent, AT&T, Clearwire and Google, as well as consumer groups, public interest groups, educators, state and local governments, and other stakeholders in America's broadband future.

The Call to Action states that the United States urgently needs a comprehensive national broadband strategy. It sets forth a policy framework that includes the following goals: (1) open access to the Internet "to the maximum feasible extent" for all users, service providers, content providers, and application providers; (2) rights for network operators to manage their networks "responsibly, pursuant to clear and workable guidelines and standards"; (3) a competitive Internet and broadband marketplace, to the greatest extent possible; and (4) broadband network performance, capacity, and connections that US citizens need to compete successfully in the global marketplace. The Call to Action concludes with a commitment of the signatories to continue to work together to address key issues and priorities and to hold an event in the spring of 2009 to present more specific recommendations to President Obama, Congress and the American People.

WCAI is pleased to be at the forefront of the industry initiative to work with the new administration on developing a comprehensive national broadband strategy. The Call to Action joins the National Wireless Broadband Strategy for the New Administration WCAI released earlier this year, outlining recommendations to achieve universal wireless broadband access nationwide. As the only broadband platform that is capable of providing access everywhere, all the time, wireless broadband platforms offer mobility - a connection to every person whether at home or on the go. These capabilities make wireless broadband essential to achieving universal broadband connectivity.

WCAI will continue to play an active role in working with policymakers, industry players and others in the broadband ecosystem to help develop a comprehensive national broadband strategy with the goal of achieving universal wireless broadband access in the United States.

Spectrum Aggregation: Adjudication or Rulemaking?

Over the summer, a petition was filed at the FCC asking the Commission to impose an absolute limit of 110 MHz on the amount of spectrum a company could hold in any given county. The petition argues that a spectrum cap is necessary to prevent service providers from impeding competition.

As WCAI noted in its pleading on this issue, “there is no question that the Commission should continue to guard against spectrum aggregations that harm the public interest.” But the Commission already has that power – and exercises it on a case-by-case basis during review of transactions and auctions. The only question is whether the Commission should abandon its current flexibility to analyze spectrum aggregation concerns on a case-by-case basis in favor of the inflexible, hard spectrum cap proposed in the petition.

The primary problem with a hard spectrum cap established by rule is the inability to rapidly adapt it to market and technology changes. As WCAI notes in its pleading:

“In this evolving, nascent mobile wireless broadband environment, the flexibility provided by case-by-case review remains the best way for the Commission to promote competition, minimize barriers to deployment, and encourage additional investment in wireless broadband infrastructure. The Commission must preserve its ability to respond to rapid changes as they occur, rather than attempt to accurately predict them in advance . . . .”

I couldn’t say it better.

So, how rapidly is the mobile wireless broadband environment evolving? Fast. Since just 2006, the Commission has made additional wireless broadband spectrum available in the AWS-1 band, BRS/EBS band, 700 MHz band, 5 GHz band, 3650 MHz band, and the DTV white spaces. T-Mobile began using Wi-Fi VOIP, Apple released the iPhone, and 3G/4G services have been deployed on a wide scale. And a new, nationwide competitor has emerged.

While a spectrum cap may have been appropriate in the pre-broadband era, when mobile wireless services were limited almost exclusively to narrowband voice and the technologies and amount of available spectrum for such services were relatively static, it is poorly suited for the rapidly evolving broadband wireless marketplace that exists today.