Friday, October 18, 2002

More people have access ot more information at lower cost. Just look at those curves.   http://radio.weblogs.com/0110772/"> Source: Seb's Open Research; 10/18/2002; 1:14:25 PM. Thanks to  [Seb's Open Research] comments? [] 2:29:11 PM     Kevin Werbach's working paper on Open Spectrum I don't usually provide this service, and I hope the author doesn't mind, but here is a precis, in his own words, of Kevin Werbach's lucid and important working paper on the Concept of Open Spectrum.  (don't settle for the precis!) Open spectrum explodes the following myths: 1) Wireless spectrum is scarce 2) Auctions are the best mechanism to put spectrum into the marketplace 3) Massive capital investment is needed to exploit the spectrum 4) The future of wireless lies in third-generation (3G) systems 5) Wireless technologies are not viable solutions to the last-mile bottleneck To take advantage of the fantastic potential of open spectrum, we must change our spectrum policies. With a few exceptions, existing laws and regulations are rooted in historical anachronisms. Since the passage of the Federal Radio Act in 1927 and the Communications Act in 1934, virtually everything about wireless has changed. What began as a technology for ship-toshore communication became the foundation of the radio, broadcast television, satellite and cellular telephone industries, as well as supporting private radio services, public safety communications, military communications, wireless data networking and a host of other applications. The amount of spectrum considered usable has increased dramatically as more sophisticated devices have been developed. Analog services are giving way to digital, allowing for additional features and efficiency. Everything has changed except for one very important thing: We still regulate the radio spectrum based on the technology of the 1920s.  Whatever rules we set will influence behavior. If "interference" is defined with reference to a dumb receiver, vendors will try to save money and make receivers as dumb as possible. If, on the other hand, manufacturers have no guarantee of spectrum exclusivity, they will have the opposite incentive. ...the licensed spectrum model has been the dominant paradigm for so long that there is a surprising amount we simply donít know about how radios work. For example, we donít know as a theoretical matter what the maximum capacity is of a geographically defined system filled with randomly distributed radios.  We do know that many of our intuitions are wrong. Research has shown that many factors we believe should decrease the capacity of a systemóadding more transmitters, creating more alternative paths for signals to travel, or putting receivers in motion, for exampleócan actually increase capacity.13 This occurs because the more data a smart receiver has about the surrounding environment, the better it can do in distinguishing the desired signal. The FCC and Congress must ensure that the following threats from incumbent industries do not undermine the future potential of unlicensed technologies: ï Requests for Regulatory Protection ï Spectrum "Propertization" ï Backhaul Discrimination  The US government should follow a four-step program to make open spectrum a reality: ï Develop rules to foster more effective cooperation among unlicensed users ï Set aside more spectrum for unlicensed uses ï Eliminate restrictions on non-intrusive underlay techniques across licensed bands ï Promote experimentation and research in unlicensed wireless technology A Near-Term Opportunity in 700 MHz The forthcoming return of analog television spectrum provides an opportunity to put some of these policies into practice. Congress has directed the FCC to auction the 700 MHz Q spectrum now occupied by broadcast channels 60-69, though the auction has been delayed several times. Because of its propagation characteristics, the 700 MHz spectrum could make an excellent unlicensed wireless park, a scenario that simply could not be contemplated when the original plans for return of that spectrum were drawn up. Congress should take advantage of the opportunity and designate some or all of the 700 MHz spectrum for unlicensed devices. As a transitional mechanism, the FCC could allow only underlay uses that do not intrude on incumbent licensees. comments? [] 2:27:19 PM

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