Spectrum Auctions and Super Wi-Fi

New America Foundation
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
10:00 - 11:30 a.m.

Central to America's wireless future is the need to increase spectrum capacity, both licensed and unlicensed. However, as the Payroll Tax Extenders bill continues to be debated in Congress, unlicensed spectrum could be on the chopping block despite it's $30 to $50 billion annual contribution to consumer welfare and a growing number of industries.

This forum provides a briefing by U.S. Senators, a former FCC Chairman and a panel of spectrum experts who are leading the fight to preserve unlicensed spectrum and, more broadly, flexibility for the expert agency (the FCC) to conduct auctions and reorganize the airwaves in the public interest.
Our panelists will release new studies and discuss trials showing the mushrooming value of unlicensed spectrum to the innovation economy as well as the importance of preserving FCC flexibility.

Distinguished Speakers

• Senator John Kerry (D-MA)
• Senator Jerry Moran (R-KS)
• Reed Hundt, Former FCC Chairman (1993-1997)

Panel of Experts
Rusty Irvin
Chief Executive Officer
StratusWave Communications (West Virginia)

Yochai Benkler
Berkman Professor of Entrepreneurial Legal Studies
Harvard University

Mark Cooper
Director of Research
Consumer Federation of America

James Assey
Senior Vice President
National Cable & Telecommunications Assn (NCTA)

Peter Stanforth
Chief Technology Officer
Spectrum Bridge

Moderator
Michael Calabrese
Senior Research Fellow, Open Technology Initiative
New America Foundation

To RSVP for the event:
http://newamerica.net/events/2012/spectrum_auctions_super_wi_fi

For questions, contact Stephanie Gunter at New America at (202) 596-3367 or gunter@newamerica.net