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NEWINGTON, CT, Nov 7, 2002--The FCC Spectrum Policy Task Force has presented recommendations to modernize the rules that guide how the nation's spectrum is managed and utilized. The Task Force has recommended that spectrum management evolve from a traditional government "command-and-control" model to a more flexible, consumer-oriented approach. Created by FCC Chairman Michael Powell last June, the Task Force--after research and extensive public input--concluded that the time is ripe for spectrum policy reform.
"The foundations of our current spectrum policy are cracking beneath the weight of innovation and widespread consumer use of spectrum-based services," Powell said. "This is no surprise, since most of our policies date from the 1920s."
Powell said FCC policies "must focus on what consumers want and what technology can deliver--not on old models of command-and-control regulatory intervention." Today's consumer, he continued, "demands access to interference-free spectrum when they need it. When we turn on our cell phone, we expect it to work."
The FCC said in a Public Notice that the Task Force's report will provide a starting point for a long-term review of spectrum policy approaches. "Increasing demand for spectrum-based services and devices is straining longstanding, and outmoded, spectrum policies." The Task Force said that while the FCC recently has made some major strides in spectrum allocation and assignment in some bands, "spectrum policy is not keeping pace with the relentless spectrum demands of the market."
The ARRL was among the entities and individuals commenting in the FCC's Task Force initiative, ET Docket 02-135, earlier this year. The League told the FCC that marketplace forces should not determine Amateur Radio spectrum allocations, and that interference management is a technical, not an economic, issue.
"The value to the public of a vital, growing Amateur Radio Service, while perhaps only indirectly measurable in market terms, cannot translate to a marketplace ability to pay for spectrum, no matter what the mechanism," the ARRL asserted in its comments. "The non-pecuniary character of Amateur Radio makes it uniquely unsuitable for market-oriented allocation processes." Such a policy, the ARRL said, would "preclude Amateur Radio communications."
In its comments, the ARRL compared Amateur Radio spectrum to a public park or right-of-way. "Given the wide availability of Amateur Radio to the general public and its value as an educational and public service resource, the concept fits well," the League said.
Key Task Force Findings
Based on preliminary research and review conducted by FCC staff and the Task Force, some bands are heavily used while many are not in use in all geographic areas or are used only part of the time. "Thus, there may be opportunities for spectrum-based services or devices to operate in the resulting 'white spaces,'" the Task Force suggested.
The Task Force said that technological advances--such as the increased use of digital technologies and the development of software-defined radios--are providing some potential answers to current spectrum policy challenges. "These technological advances enable spectrum rights to be parceled as a function of time," the FCC panel said. "Also, they allow systems to be much more tolerant of interference than in the past."
The Task Force also concluded that spectrum rights and responsibilities are not always clearly defined and that users need more certainty. "In addition, the rights and responsibilities that are defined need to better reflect more market-based models and policies," it said.
Key Recommendations
The Task Force recommended that the Commission evolve its spectrum policy toward more flexible and market-oriented spectrum policies that will provide incentives for users to migrate to more technologically innovative and economically efficient uses of spectrum." Among the Task Force's specific recommendations:
Provide incentives for efficient spectrum use by both licensed and unlicensed users through flexible rules and facilitating secondary markets. "This would enable spectrum users to make fundamental choices about how they use spectrum, taking into account market factors such as consumer demand, availability of technology and competition," the Task Force said.
Clearly and exhaustively define spectrum users' rights and responsibilities.
Investigate rule changes that promote more flexible power limits in rural or less-congested areas.
Adopt "interference temperature" to quantify and manage interference. The Task Force said creating a quantitative standard for acceptable interference "provides both greater certainty for licensees and greater access to unused spectrum for unlicensed operators." The Task Force said using the "interference temperature" standard to establish maximum permissible interference levels on a band-by-band basis would place a limit on the noise environment in which receivers would be required to operate. "To the extent, however, that the interference temperature in a particular band is not reached, users who emit energy below that temperature could operate more flexibly," the Task Force said, "with the interference temperature serving as the maximum cap on the potential RF energy they could introduce into the band."
Spectrum Time Shares
The Task Force said it found that new technological developments now permit the FCC to increasingly consider the use of time--in addition to frequency, power and space--as an added dimension permitting more dynamic allocation and assignment of spectrum usage rights. "This would provide access to unused or underused spectrum through time-sharing of spectrum between multiple users and lead to more efficient use of the spectrum resource," the Task Force predicted.
Multiple Models
The Task Force recommended that the FCC base its spectrum policy on a balance three spectrum rights models--an exclusive-use approach, a commons approach and, to a more limited degree, a command-and-control approach.
The Task Force advised altering the balance away from the predominant command-and-control model to provide greater use of both the exclusive use and commons models. Under that approach, the FCC would limit command and control to those instances where compelling public policy reasons exist, such as for some public safety applications.
"To the extent feasible, more spectrum should be identified for both licensed and unlicensed uses under flexible rules and existing spectrum that is subject to more restrictive command-and-control regulation should over time be transitioned to these models," the Task Force said.
Concluded FCC Chairman Powell, "The Commission is chartered to serve the public interest. The public has made their desire for interference-free spectrum-based services quite clear. The challenge now rests with us to deliver."
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