President Bush ordered government agencies to undertake a detailed, one-year review of their spectrum use policies, with the goal of unlocking “the economic value and entrepreneurial potential of U.S. spectrum assets.” The federal government makes extensive use of spectrum for radars, communications, geolocation/navigation, space operations, and other national and homeland security needs. The Secretary of Commerce will chair a Spectrum Policy Initiative” that shall prepare legislative and other recommendations to modernize the spectrum management system while encouraging the deployment of new and expanded services and technologies and preserving national security, homeland security, and public safety.
http://www.whitehouse.gov/news/releases/2003/06/20030605-4.html
- In May 2003, The FCC adopted new rules intended to make spectrum leasing more responsive to market forces. The FCC said its streamlined procedures would encourage licensees to freely lease their unused or unneeded spectrum capacity, thereby increasing the amount of spectrum available to prospective users and new wireless technologies. Similarly, the steps taken to streamline the license assignment and transfer process will also enhance access to spectrum by a variety of entities. The FCC is encouraging the development of secondary markets for spectrum by providing a streamlined approval process for transfers and assignments of licenses. The new policies affect both mobile and fixed services, including Cellular, Personal Communications Services (PCS), Specialized Mobile Radio (SMR), Local Multipoint Distribution Service (LMDS), fixed microwave, 24 GHz, and 39 GHz, among others.
- FCC Chairman Michael K. Powell described the action as “one of the most important spectrum reform decisions by this Commission in the last decade.”
- The FCC will seek to make available for unlicensed use an additional 255 MHz of spectrum in the 5.470 to 5.725 GHz band. This would increase the spectrum available for use by unlicensed devices in the 5 GHz region by 80%.