Serves as Backbone of the Wireless Industry and Ultimately Drives Innovation and Competition
WASHINGTON--Today, CTIA-The Wireless Association® President and CEO Steve Largent issued the following statement in response to its ex parte filing (GN Docket No. 09-51) to the FCC highlighting the need for more spectrum.
“As the Chairman and other FCC Commissioners understand, spectrum is our industry’s backbone and is what encourages innovation and competition.
“In order to facilitate the ‘virtuous cycle’ of the industry, more spectrum must be made available. As spectrum is brought to market, the virtuous cycle begins, as networks are upgraded to add capacity and greater capabilities, handsets are then developed to take advantage of next generation networks, application and content developers then create new content to take advantage of new handset capabilities, and ultimately, consumers demand more. It’s a cycle that never ends as long as spectrum is available.
“The U.S. is the most efficient users of commercial spectrum in the world. But as the Chairman has recognized, the industry needs access to more spectrum so we can continue to meet the growing consumer demand – whether it’s for personal reasons such as mHealth or for environmental reasons such as smart grids. Other countries around the world have recognized the need to facilitate this virtuous cycle and have identified hundreds of megahertz of spectrum to reallocate for licensed commercial use.
“In this filing, we are asking the FCC to work with the Federal government to immediately begin to identify and allocate up to 800 MHz of additional spectrum over the next six years. We also have requested policymakers to meet short-term spectrum needs by pairing and allocating readily-available spectrum.
“We are proud that the mobile wireless industry is providing broadband access where you want it, when you want it, but we are facing a perfect storm where demand may outpace supply. By allocating and assigning more spectrum, the federal government will encourage continued innovation and competition within the industry and ensure our continued economic investment and impact."
CTIA is the international association for the wireless telecommunications industry, representing carriers, manufacturers and wireless Internet providers.
