Progress & Freedom Foundation lunch Fri. on Capitol Hill on wirel...

had was “economic strength of the wireless business at this point in time to bid for spectrum. On one side we are arguing for more spectrum. But not too long ago the industry was saying ‘we don’t want 700 MHz, delay the auction.'” While both industry and govt. want additional spectrum made available in timely fashion, Thomas said argument was over what word “timely” meant in that context. “The question is what is timely and how much [spectrum] to make available for which services at which point in time,” he said. “If indeed you make spectrum available and it lies fallow, that’s a problem.” Citing lack of “viable” business plans in Europe and Asia for third- generation (3G) services, Thomas said: “3G to me is not an issue.” In Europe, for example, spectrum was made available solely for 3G without flexibility for carriers to offer services other than those proscribed by auction regulations. Steve Berry, CTIA senior vp-govt. affairs, said that regardless of discussion over whether industry needs 90 MHz or 120 MHz now for 3G, wireless sector also needs decision now “that you will make spectrum available in a very dependable and predictable fashion” so that Wall St. and others would have signal that industry has path to growth. “We have been waiting for 10 years for that to happen. We need a decision today that 90 to 120 [MHz] is made available,” Berry said. “Without a game plan,” carriers can’t invest billions of dollars needed to buy and develop spectrum for advanced wireless Internet services, he said. Brian Fontes, Cingular vp-federal relations, said that how much spectrum is needed has been well documented by global organizations, which have identified minimum of 160 MHz and “realistically” 200 MHz by 2010 in U.S. On 700-MHz issue, Kevin Krufky, legislative aide to Sen. Brownback (R-Kan.) noted that fact that spectrum-hungry wireless carriers didn’t apply to participate in 700-MHz auction that had been scheduled for earlier this summer “should say something.” He said: “The whole problem with that auction is that it had nothing to do with sound policy -- it was an appropriations- related issue.” NTIA Deputy Dir. Michael Gallagher agreed with some private sector speakers that govt. wants to see changes, including more focus on efficiency. “But I think also the industry has a tendency, as we have seen in the 700- MHz debate, to say, ‘well, not so fast there,'” he said. “If we did move a significant amount of spectrum right away, the industry would be among the first to come and say whoa, don’t go there, not so fast, because it means more competition and it means spectrum is going to be available in a way that we can’t quite control.”