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FCC To Review the Relative Value of Low, High, and Super-high Spectrum Licenses

Posted by samzenpus on from the price-check dept.

MrSeb writes "The FCC is reviewing the rules it has for spectrum license ownership, particularly on how much spectrum any one company can hold. The FCC is considering this rework because the rules do not currently account for the properties of different frequencies of spectrum. There are three main classes of spectrum for cellular wireless networks: low band, high band, and super high band — but at the moment, they are all valued equally. Given that low band spectrum is valued favorably against high band and super high band spectrum in the market, and that AT&T and Verizon have by far the most low band spectrum, it makes sense for the FCC to adjust its rules in order to more accurately determine how much spectrum any one company needs."

1 of 58 comments (clear)

  1. Re:ownership of the spectrum by Hazel+Bergeron · · Score: 5, Insightful

    What is need? I need a haircut - in fact I need one every week, as long as someone else is paying.

    In what sense is the cutting of your hair based on the allocation of licences to exploitation of natural resources?

    The radio ranges are not invaluable.

    Yes they are. They're not the product of man's mind. You can't create more frequencies by re-investing your profits.

    In fact, lots of people have gotten rich by getting politicians to tip the rules in their favor, allowing them to get a license while excluding others.

    There's the problem - exclusive access.

    They have a particular value, which should be set by the highest bidder.

    You only get to put stuff you own up for bidding. This is either something you create or something that has been freely traded after being created by something else. The spectrum comes under neither of those categories. A free market, at least, does not give an unfair advantage to people who happened to have some amount of money available when a government felt in the mood to give exclusive rights to something.

    Let the market operate like it always has when people have let it.

    Innovate; consolidate; stagnate; profiteer?

    Yes, there's a limited amount of wave lengths. There's a limited amount of everything.

    And you have the rights to the limited fruits of your limited labour. IOW, no-one should be able to tell you that they own what you make.

    What part of, say, a 100kHz band at 14MHz was the result of anyone's work?