Saving the last beachfront spectrum

SAVING THE LAST BEACHFRONT SPECTRUM
[SOURCE: C-Net|News.com, AUTHOR: Vanu Bose]
[Commentary] The Federal Communications Commission has just issued proposals for auctioning 700MHz spectrum, which is being called the "last beachfront spectrum." These airwaves are "beachfront" because the laws of physics make them very useful, both to send signals and to penetrate walls, allowing signals to be received inside buildings. With the upcoming auction of these valuable airwaves, we have the opportunity to address a critical unmet public need: nationwide, interoperable public safety communications. However, building a new nationwide interoperable network would be a significant burden on the U.S. Treasury, which is why I support the proposal by Frontline Wireless in which my company, Vanu, is a partner. Frontline's proposal would ensure that whoever wins part of this spectrum would provide free build-out for public safety users of a national, IP-based network for interoperability and provide access to adjacent commercial spectrum when needed during emergencies. Too often, rights to use spectrum are monopolized by a small number of large companies, which slows innovation and hurts both public safety and consumers. Let's ensure that part of the price of acquiring this spectrum involves solving our most pressing public safety communications problems.
http://news.com.com/Saving+the+last+beachfront+spectrum/2010-1033_3-6190...