FCC official: Broadband internet needs more spectrum
September 2, 2009
Blair Levin, the official charged with leading the Federal Communications Commission's effort to craft a National Broadband Plan, told telecom executives Wednesday there is not enough available spectrum to meet growing demand for mobile broadband internet.
Levin said that current spectrum holders in the wireless industry may have to justify their ownership of frequencies on the airwaves, according to a report from Dow Jones.
The FCC is collecting testimony from industry and public interest groups as it works out the National Broadband Plan on how to improve broadband internet access. Much of the examination centers on usage of different technologies, including wireline services like DSL and cable internet as well as over-the-air technologies for mobile broadband.
"There's pretty much consensus in the record, there's not enough [spectrum]," Levin said in a speech at the Udwin Breakfast Group, an annual industry gathering, according to Dow Jones.
Much of the shortage of spectrum problem is attributed to growing demand for mobile broadband by users of smartphones like iPhones and BlackBerrys, which eat up bandwidth.
The FCC recently auctioned off the 700MHz spectrum formerly used by over-the-air TV, but the CTIA, which represents the wireless industry, has asked the government to auction off more government spectrum to private companies, according to Electronista.
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