CM Editorial Comment: The article below is verbatim from the White House. CM thinks they have it somewhat right, but are throwing too many sops to carriers. The answer on broadband width is for the Federal Communications Commission to keep the internet as free and open as possible, and to award spectrum to private businesses who can provide the lowest cost and best service, not who will pay the Feds the most for the spectrum, who will add costs and limitations onto user services to recoup their license costs.. This is free advice for Obama, who didn't take our sound advice that the most Green thing he could do would be to put a Truck Driver with a CDL in the Cabinet -ED WAGGENER

• The use of voluntary incentive auctions will ensure that spectrum is reassigned from the lowest value uses to the highest, and that the economic benefits are widely shared among stakeholders, including broadcasters, wireless carriers, consumers, and taxpayers. The recently passed spectrum bill gives the FCC authority to conduct these auctions.


• Unlicensed spectrum is a valuable complement to licensed spectrum, and allocating new spectrum for a mix of licensed and unlicensed uses will offer the most fertile environment for future innovation. The spectrum bill gives the FCC authority to allocate more spectrum for unlicensed uses, creating new opportunities for the development of innovative wireless technologies.


• Federal funding for research and development in emerging wireless technologies will have substantial public benefits, particularly to support the development of innovative technologies for use in public safety. The bill sets aside $100-300 Million for public safety network R&D, funds that will be vital to helping the public safety community build a new robust, flexible and innovative network for first responders all around the country.