Broadband & Community Broadband

The Economic/Legal Reply Comments filed by NAF, et al. are below. NAF, et al. also filed a separate set of Technical Reply Comments, which you can find here.

BEFORE THE
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

In the Matter of Unlicensed Operation
in the TV Broadcast Bands, ET Docket No. 04-186

With U.S. broadband penetration still lagging far behind other advanced economies—and rural and low-income areas in particular being left on the wrong side of the digital divide—a variety of emerging wireless technologies offer the potential to quickly and cost-effectively bring affordable and ubiquitous broadband access to all Americans. While these wireless solutions offer great promise, they all suffer from a lack of adequate access to the public airwaves (spectrum)—either on an exclusive licensed or shared, unlicensed basis.

WASHINGTON — Morgan E. O'Brien is used to jolting the wireless industry. Now the Nextel co-founder is back in the start-up business and again aiming to shake up the airwaves...

This time, the 62-year-old entrepreneur is pitching a controversial plan to transform public safety communications while also extending high-speed wireless Internet service to hard-to-reach rural areas.

His attempt to gain federal approval for his idea may be his biggest challenge yet. Supporters laud him as a visionary. Detractors brand him a profiteer...

Issue Update (2-21-2007): VoIP provider Skype has filed a petition with the FCC to ensure that Carterfone rules apply to commercial wireless networks, citing Tim Wu's paper on Wireless Net Neutrality.  

Below is an Executive Summary.  The full paper is linked below, in PDF format.  

BEFORE THE
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

In the Matter of Unlicensed Operation
in the TV Broadcast Bands, ET Docket No. 04-186

Additional Spectrum for Unlicensed Devices
Below 900 MHZ and in the 3 GHz Band, ET Docket No. 02-380

ABSTRACT

BEFORE THE
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

In the Matter of Unlicensed Operation
in the TV Broadcast Bands, ET Docket No. 04-186

Additional Spectrum for Unlicensed Devices
Below 900 MHZ and in the 3 GHz Band, ET Docket No. 02-380

COMMENTS OF NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION:
University of Kansas TV Band Interference Study

BEFORE THE
FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION

In the Matter of Unlicensed Operation
in the TV Broadcast Bands, ET Docket No. 04-186

Additional Spectrum for Unlicensed Devices
Below 900 MHZ and in the 3 GHz Band, ET Docket No. 02-380

TECHNICAL COMMENTS OF
NEW AMERICA FOUNDATION,
Dr. Michael J. Marcus, Sc.D
Dr. Robert Brodersen
Dr. Timothy X. Brown
Dr. Paul Kolodzy
Dr. Andrew Lippman
Sascha Meinrath
Dr. Marvin A. Sirbu
Haiyun Tang

This study and report were produced with funding from Microsoft Corporation.

Policy Background

(WASHINGTON, D.C.) – The New America Foundation announced today that Michael Calabrese, Vice President and Director of the Wireless Future Program, will participate as a featured speaker in Tech Policy Summit, being held February 26 and 27, 2007 in San Jose, California. The invitation-only, nonpartisan summit brings together leaders from the private and public sectors, including top government officials, industry executives and other policy experts.