The Innovation Bands: Freeing up Spectrum for America's Wireless Future

Wireless Innovation Alliance
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m.

President Obama outlined a Wireless Innovation and Infrastructure Initiative that promises high-speed "4G" mobile broadband for 98% of Americans while raising over $27 billion from spectrum auctions to pay for a nationwide, interoperable public safety network and other innovations.

Central to America's wireless future is the need to double the spectrum capacity currently accessible for mobile broadband, including both commercial networks and WiFi. But since all the good spectrum is currently assigned to incumbent uses, how should needed spectrum be freed up? There is a bipartisan push for "voluntary incentive auctions" of more TV channels, but how will this work and will it be enough?

This forum provides a briefing by officials at the White House, NTIA and FCC who are leading this initiative. They will outline the Administration's 10-year plan to free up 500 MHz more spectrum for exclusive licensing and for shared and unlicensed use.

Joining the discussion is a panel of spectrum policy experts from high-tech companies and public interest groups that support freeing up spectrum for both licensed and unlicensed use, expanding on the new "innovation band" for Super WiFi on unused TV channels.

Panelists

Larry Atlas
Senior Adviser to Assistant Secretary of NTIA
US Department of Commerce

Phil Weiser
Senior Advisor to the Director for Technology and Innovation
National Economic Council

Ruth Milkman
Bureau Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
Federal Communications Commission

Paula Boyd
Regulatory Affairs Counsel
Microsoft

Rick Whitt
Director & Managing Counsel, Telecom and Media Policy
Google, Inc

Harold Feld
Legal Director
Public Knowledge

Michael Calabrese
Senior Research Fellow, Open Technology Initiative
Founder, Wireless Future Project
New America Foundation

To RSVP for the event: http://www.newamerica.net/events/2011/the_innovation_bands

The Wireless Innovation Alliance is a broad-based group of innovators, providers, consumer groups, think tanks and education organizations that believe that more efficient use and expanded access to the nation's spectrum resources are fundamental to the future of U.S. economic policy and global competitiveness. Our members are committed to working with policymakers to ensure the most efficient, effective and flexible use of spectrum - including "innovation bands" like the newly authorized TV White Spaces - to fuel growing demand and new technologies. Learn more at www.wirelessinnovation.org.