(Reuters) – U.S. President Barack Obama endorsed on Monday plans by regulators to nearly double the spectrum now available for wireless devices.
I came across this article today and decided to annotate it for you . Yesterday, President Obama announced a new plan that was proposed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) asking to free up 500 megahertz of spectrum (broad range) over the next 10 years. Why? Because according thier research, they must keep up and meet the demand for personal computers, smartphones such as RIM’s BlackBerry, and Apple’s iPhone , and other wi-fi comptatible devices. It makes sense, but what else can we make of this?
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There seems to be an on going conflict between Washington and broadcasters. The FCC is pushing for more sprectrum (broad range), to allow room for this digital boom, while broadcasters are hesitant to expand it. The reason why the government wants to get involved, is because freeing up airwaves to meet the growing demands of the wireless industry is a major component of the FCC’s National Broadband Plan to increase Internet subscribers and provide affordable access to rural and low-income families. Good effort by the FCC to look out for the entire population on this one. This digital boom is only going to get bigger, and a big part of assimilation to that stage starts with making broad range widely available, and affordable. Nowadays almost everything is done online. From billpay, news, entertainment t.v, online classes and more, the internet has transformed itself from a comfort zone, to a must have utility. Services that used to take a pen,pad, and stamp, now can all be done online by email,tweet,IM and even via facetime.
Unfortuntaley, broadcasters are reluctant to give up spectrum because according to them, if broad range is released, it could harm the public’s ability to watch free programming and government agencies have cited national security concerns. Their seems to be some applicable valid points from the broadcasters point of view as well. Clearly, broadcasters are looking out for the individuals of The United States, as well as the nation as a whole. If we look back at history, one reason why the internet is as popular as it is now, is because an abundance of information can be accessed for free, and rapid. Look at YouTube views, media blog comments, and the participation trends on online websites. Clearly, we like our free services, and use them on a daily basis. They have also been reluctant to release spectrum due to national security reasons. America is trying to prevent any mishaps from happening, so national security issues are being negotiated. However, Washington has answered back with the following statement.
White House economic adviser Lawrence Summers said in a speech that “broadcasters will not be forced to relinquish their spectrum and stations can enter into a voluntary program in which they will be paid for their airwaves.” Summers also said proceeds from spectrum auctions will be reinvested back into jobs-focused infrastructure projects such as the U.S. air traffic control system, high-speed rail and a national emergency response system. “This initiative will catalyze private sector investment, contribute to economic growth, make revenue available to the federal government, and help to create hundreds of thousands of jobs,” Summers said.
With Obama endorsing the plan by the FCC, and also a huge dedicated BlackBerry user, his help can finalize this stagnant process , and America will know its future in wireless broadband for years to come.
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Thanks, and Don’t forget to RT and share on Facebook! It’s important everyone is infomed on this situation, for our futures sake.Via: Reuters