CTIA, the Wireless Association and carrier members
serving more than 92 percent of U.S. wireless customers, sent a letter to
President Obama asking for his leadership to direct the Department of
Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to
clear unused and underutilized government spectrum bands below 3 gigahertz
(GHz).
Even though the U.S. wireless industry offers Americans
the most innovative products and services in the world, additional spectrum is
vital to fueling its ecosystem’s virtuous cycle.
The letter was signed by some of CTIA’s carrier members,
who represent more than 92 percent of U.S. wireless customers. They are:
AT&T Mobility & Consumer Markets President and CEO Ralph de la Vega;
Cellcom President and CEO Patrick Riordan; Sprint President and CEO Dan Hesse;
T-Mobile USA President and CEO Philipp Humm; U.S. Cellular President and CEO
Mary Dillon; and Verizon Wireless President and CEO Dan Mead.
In the letter, the signatories ask President Obama to
direct NTIA, which is responsible for managing the government’s spectrum
holdings, to free cleared, paired and internationally-harmonized bands below 3
GHz.
To meet the important goals that were in President
Obama’s Wireless Initiative and the Federal Communications Commission’s (FCC)
National Broadband Plan, access to spectrum in these bands is critical.
The U.S. wireless industry wants to remain the envy of
the world by continuing to offer our customers the best and most innovative
products and services. In order to meet current and projected demands for
wireless technology, we must get more spectrum. By allowing our members to
purchase the spectrum at auction, the U.S. Treasury will generate billions of
dollars of revenue and in turn, we will continue to invest in America and
Americans,” said Steve Largent, president and CEO of CTIA.
Economists have predicted that for every dollar invested
in wireless Internet, another $7-10 will be created for the nation’s GDP. There
is strong support by President Obama, numerous Members of Congress, the FCC and
other policymakers to auction unused and underused spectrum to ensure its
highest and best use.
The benefits of such an auction are also supported by 112
of the nation’s leading economists (including Nobel Prize winners, former
members of both Democratic and Republican administrations and former FCC Chief
Economists).
Other countries want to emulate the tremendous success of
the U.S. wireless industry, which is why a number of OECD countries have
already made hundreds of megahertz of spectrum available for their wireless
industries.
By Telecomlead.com Team
editor@telecomlead.com
