Bipartisan bill seeks to clarify spectrum issue

Think getting more broadband spectrum for a national wireless broadband plan is not a big deal? Here's evidence it is. A bill co-co-sponsored by a Republican (Sen. Olympia Snowe) and a Democrat (Sen. John Kerry)--that's right, a bipartisan bill--has been introduced to try to bring sanity and clarity to the so-called "spectrum crunch."

The legislation, which is apparently a revised and expanded version of legislation the two introduced during the last Congress, would give the FCC the authority to conduct "voluntary incentive auctions" for broadcasters and others who are holding and would like to sell spectrum

It would also establish some ground rules for dealing with the whole spectrum issue because, Snowe said in a statement, "Unfortunately, the government's current spectrum management framework is inefficient and has not kept up with technological advancements to ensure providers have the necessary wireless capacity to meet growing demand for this finite resource."

Sounds ominous for broadcasters.

For more:
- Broadband Breakfast has this story

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