Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Pentagon, U.S. House weigh in on spectrum allocation issues

From: [email-masked]
Date: Fri, 13 Jun 2003 17:07:13 -0400

Pentagon, U.S. House weigh in on spectrum allocation issues

By Bob Brewin
JUNE 13, 2003

The Defense Department has endorsed a Bush administration decision to study the
transfer of federal frequencies to commercial users. But Pentagon officials
continue to emphasize that the success of U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan
resulted in part from spectrum-dependent weapons and command and control systems.

The administration's plan to review the matter was released last week (see
story).  That move was followed by passage yesterday in the House of
Representatives of the Commercial Spectrum Enhancement Act (download PDF), which
would provide 110% of the estimated relocation costs for any federal agency forced
to use new frequencies due to the transfer of spectrum to commercial interests.  A
similar bill has already been introduced in the Senate.

Badri Younes, the Defense Department's director of spectrum management, said in a
statement yesterday that the Pentagon "favors a reexamination of spectrum
management policies and processes to keep pace with the evolving demand for
spectrum driven by new technologies and evolving wireless requirements."

But, Younes said, "the dependence of the Department of Defense on spectrum as a
force multiplier and enabler has been demonstrated recently in Bosnia, Afghanistan
and Iraq, where we were able to execute successful military operations with
smaller, leaner fighting forces, limited casualties and limited collateral damage.
Our dependence on spectrum has been growing at a rapid rate as we transform our
military into a network-centric force. We need to ensure that frequency spectrum
does not become a bottleneck in this transition."

The House spectrum bill would ensure that the Pentagon and other federal agencies
bear no costs in
a shift from spectrum sold at auction to commercial entities such as cellular
carriers. It would reimburse the federal agencies with money collected from the
auctions conducted by the Federal Communications Commission. 

Those costs would include replacement of hardware, software, facilities,
engineering costs and expenses incurred in modification of equipment.Federal
frequencies covered by the House bill range from the low end of the radio
frequency spectrum to the high end. Bands covered by the bill are: 216-220 MHz,
which is now used for the Automated Maritime Telecommunications System on the
Mississippi River and connecting waterways; 1432-1435 MHz, used for military
telemetry systems; 1710-1755 MHz, used for government fixed microwave stations,
tactical radio relay and aeronautical mobile stations; and 2385-2390 MHz, used for
telemetry systems to support flight testing of missiles and aircraft.

Steve Berry, senior vice president for government affairs at the Cellular
Telecommunications & Internet Association, said in a statement that the House
spectrum bill "ensures that sufficient airwaves will be available to support
millions of wireless users, who are increasing their use of wireless voice and
adopting wireless data at record speed. It also offers government incumbents,
especially the Department of Defense ... sufficient funding for relocation and a
clear plan for a smooth transition into alternative bands of spectrum."

Craig Mathias, an analyst at Farpoint Group in Ashland, Mass., said that the
Pentagon will probably resist any attempts to take away its frequencies, adding
"it's hard to take away spectrum from DOD," as it requires a compromise between
national security and commerce.

http://www.computerworld.com/printthis/2003/0,4814,82131,00.html

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