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NTIA Committee Approves Review of Government Spectrum Sharing

The Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee approved a report that could pave the way for a fundamental shift in how spectrum is shared between the government and industry. But the group punted temporarily on the most controversial issue -- whether to explicitly recommend user fees for spectrum similar to fees imposed in the United Kingdom. The CSMAC agreed instead that those issues should be looked at more closely after the group is reconstituted and under a different administration.

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CSMAC approved a recommendation by its Subcommittee on Operational Efficiencies that it begin developing a new management structure for federal spectrum use that includes improved sharing arrangements and economic incentives such as user fees. However, the committee agreed to allow former NTIA Administrator Janice Obuchowski and Jennifer Warren, representing Lockheed Martin, to write a companion piece to articulate their alternative views. The two were the only members of the committee to voice strong concerns about the report.

A paper by the subcommittee considered by the group noted the questions that have been raised about increased sharing. “The pro market/fee recommendation asserts that market mechanisms increase efficiency and that treating spectrum like other resources provided to federal agencies, which are not supplied free of charge, would increase efficiency in its use,” the paper said. “The con recommendation argues that spectrum fees would create an unfortunate precedent and damage agency performance.”

The group agreed to look more closely at Administrative Incentive Pricing (AIP) as practiced in the U.K. Under the AIP model, government agencies pay for spectrum they use, to encourage efficient use of the airwaves. There are important differences between the U.S. and the U.K., for example, government agencies there have traditionally had more spectrum. “AIP is going to continue to raise its head,” said one CSMAC source. “It certainly keeps the issue alive with details to be filled in by the next committee,” a second source said.

In a speech Thursday, Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein noted that Sen. Byron Dorgan, D-N.D., recently sent FCC Chairman Kevin Martin a letter about the FCC’s existing spectrum management practices. “Sen. Dorgan is requesting detailed information on licensed spectrum under the FCC’s jurisdiction saying that there is a need to ensure the efficient use of the nation’s airwaves,” Adelstein said. “I agree. We'll also need to collaborate with our colleagues at the NTIA for this common goal. That means coordinating with the agency and the Commerce Spectrum Management Advisory Committee to identify more public spectrum the government can make available for commercial use.”