FCC spectrum task force calls for flexible policies

The FCC’s spectrum policy task force today said the rules that govern how spectrum is managed and used need to evolve from the traditional “command and control” model that is driven by the government to a more flexible consumer-oriented approach.

The task force, created by FCC Chairman Michael Powell in June, recommended the development of market-oriented policies – which would take into account consumer demand, technology availability and competition – that would provide incentives for users to migrate to more technologically innovative and economically efficient uses of spectrum.

Powell said that current spectrum policy is “cracking beneath the weight of innovation and wide-spread consumer use of spectrum-based services.” He added that the commission’s policies should focus on what consumers want and what technology can deliver, and not on regulatory intervention. Specifically, Powell said new policies should be developed that would enable the commercial deployment of spectrum-efficient technologies that “make signals more vigorous and deliver communications where and when people need them.”

Industry trade groups reacted positively to the recommendations. Tom Wheeler, president of the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association called the FCC’s decision to develop a comprehensive spectrum policy positive, but cautioned that the task force is only a first step.

“No one should be confused that it is an end in itself,” Wheeler said in a statement. “Now the heavy lifting of determining the rights and responsibilities of spectrum users begins in earnest.”

Matthew Flanigan, president of the Telecommunications Industry Association, said in a statement that the market-oriented approaches suggested by the task force would bring certainty and stability to the spectrum management effort. He added that the task force has moved the industry closer to “a modernized, effective national strategy for spectrum management.”