Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Markey Moving For Public Unlicensed Spectrum Band

From: Marcel <[email-masked]>
Date: Mon, 24 Mar 2003 15:09:51 -0500

Markey Moving For Public Unlicensed Spectrum Band

BY MARK ROCKWELL
MARCH 24, 2003
NEWS@2 DIRECT
WASHINGTON -- Legislation that would create 'spectrum commons' has surfaced on Capitol
Hill.

Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., introduced a bill he calls 'The Spectrum Commons and Digital
Dividends Act' that would 'require the FCC to
establish a 20 MHz band of unlicensed spectrum for the general public. The bill also
requires the FCC to establish a 20 MHz band of
contiguous frequencies below the 2GHz band, as well as between 3 to 500 MHz located
between the 2 GHz and 6 GHz bands,' Markey
told the House of Representatives in a statement late last week. The spectrum should
remain unlicensed and be a magnet for
increasingly advanced wireless technology, he says.

'An unlicensed area of the airwaves will permit the public, through the use of 'smart'
radio technology and better receiver equipment,
to harness the airwaves for countless applications...' Markey says.

The bill also seeks to create a trust fund of up to $5 billion to cover the costs of
relocating federal government users from that
spectrum. The money will be obtained through auctions of the spectrum, he says.

The bill marks the second attempt by the House in the last several days to establish a
re-imbursement fund to move federal users
off of commercially valuable airwaves. On March 19, Rep. Fred Upton, R-Mich., introduced
legislation regarding the funding of
government spectrum relocation. H.R. 1320, the 'Commercial Enhancement Act,' would create
a fund that would allow government
agencies located on commercially attractive spectrum to relocate to other parts of the
spectrum. According to Upton's office, auction
proceeds from the sale of the vacated spectrum would be used to cover relocation costs.
Auction proceeds must total at least 110
percent of the total estimated auction expenses.

http://www.wirelessweek.com/index.asp?layout=newsat2direct&starting=1&pubdate=03/24/03
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