THE FUTURE AS SEEN THROUGH TECHNOLOGY

It's hardly unusual these days for government entities to explore ways of delivering wireless broadband to the masses. Nor is it unusual for the spectrum owned by educational institutions to be considered as a way to provide such service. But the state of South Carolina is finding itself in something of a unique position, and it is trying to take advantage in an innovative way.

Educational spectrum, known formally as Instructional Television Fixed Service (ITFS), is owned by institutions around the country and, under FCC rules, can be leased by the schools for a profit but not sold outright. In many states, the spectrum is owned by multiple parties, such as community college districts, state university systems and individual institutions.

In South Carolina, however, the ITFS spectrum is owned by one statewide entity, originally known as South Carolina Educational Television and Radio and now known as ETV. Under a bill passed by the state legislature this summer, a commission is being assembled that will determine how to best use this statewide resource once ETV has converted to digital.

“The fact the spectrum licenses are housed under one entity is pretty unique to South Carolina,” said state Sen. James Ritchie (R-Spartanburg), who sponsored the legislation to establish the commission. “We have to be innovative and creative in the way we use this resource. We want to provide the service, but if the business community can't find a profitable model, then it won't work.”

The Wireless Technology and Communications Commission will be charged with that task, and its 13 members are being gathered from all stakeholders, including service providers, municipalities and businesses, Ritchie said. The primary goal is to create a competitive advantage for South Carolina in its efforts to attract new businesses and talented people.

To that end, the state wireless network isn't designed to compete with existing broadband services, but rather to take broadband to areas where it doesn't exist today, he added.

“How that structure arises will be a matter for the commission to decide in its deliberations,” Ritchie said. “They might say, for example, that we have vertical assets in Greenville, but if you want access to Greenville towers and space and spectrum, fine, but you have to cover little towns A, B and C as well.”

The commission faces one immediate deadline: It must file a plan for using the spectrum with the FCC by 2009 or risk losing it. The plan must be implemented within 18 months.

Service providers have had a mixed reaction to the commission.

“The providers fall into two categories. Those who see the future and are willing to embrace it are very excited about the idea,” Ritchie said. “Some of the smaller ones who are apprehensive about the future and wireless are concerned about what shape this will take. We are urging them to come into the market and build a partnership that will last for the next 10 years at least, and after that, who knows where technology will take us.”