Workshop: Spectrum

Sep
17
2009

Workshop: Spectrum

1:30 pm - 3:30 pm EDT
Washington, DC
Powerful new technologies increasingly allow Americans of all backgrounds and walks of life to access the Internet at a fixed location or on the go and for machines to communicate with one another with no human intervention. The need for robust wireless broadband connections is becoming increasingly important to deliver to all Americans these and many other applications and services. Wireless broadband promises to transform education, healthcare, energy conservation, social services, civic involvement and entertainment and bring abundant benefits to consumers and businesses alike. However, wireless broadband can only reach its full potential where there is access to adequate and appropriate radio frequency spectrum.
 
The Spectrum Workshop will consist of three panels that will look at critical elements in the development of America’s wireless broadband infrastructure. The first panel, Wireless Broadband Spectrum: Supply and Demand, will focus on spectrum requirements, asking, in particular, about the scope of existing spectrum gaps that can hinder wireless broadband network deployments. We will explore the expected capacity of existing spectrum authorized for wireless broadband use as well as announced wireless broadband deployments. In addition, we will focus on the trade-offs that are inherent in deploying a wireless broadband network where high throughput is often required to a large number of users. In particular, we will focus on the factors that would make it uneconomical for an operator to provide robust broadband service as its business grows or to increase throughput and capacity in a given area and strategies that might be used to address them. We will also look at the different types of applications and services that are likely to drive the adoption of wireless broadband services.
 
The second panel, Sources of Spectrum: Opportunities on the Horizon, will look at sources for new spectrum, asking, in particular, how the Commission should evaluate spectrum opportunities in the prime bands below 3.7GHz. Areas of discussion will include cost-effective approaches to determining the actual use of spectrum in a given band and the ability of secondary spectrum markets, to improve access to already authorized spectrum, particularly in rural areas.
 
Finally, the third panel: Innovating in Spectrum Access—Technological Advances and Other Approaches to Facilitate More Productive Spectrum Use, will focus on innovation. It will assess the new and innovative technologies that have recently been developed to facilitate more productive and efficient spectrum use, including software defined radios, new signal detection and contention-sensing technologies, as well as new rules of spectrum etiquette. The discussion will specifically focus on policies that could be adopted to help accelerate innovation and technological advances in gaining access to sufficient spectrum.

Webcast

Topics

The following are some of the preliminary topics that will be covered at this workshop. If you would like to discuss any other topics, please send us your suggestions.
 
First Panel: Wireless Broadband Spectrum: Supply and Demand.
  • What is the magnitude of the looming spectrum gap for wireless broadband networks?
  • What are the tradeoffs that are inherent in deploying a wireless broadband network where high throughput is often required to a large number of users?
  • What are the factors that would make it uneconomical for either an incumbent or a start-up operator to continue to increase throughput and capacity in a given area and strategies that might be used to address them?
  • What are the applications and services that will drive wireless broadband network uptake?
  • To what extent does/will spectrum availability for wireless backhaul be a factor in wireless broadband network deployments?
Second Panel: Sources of Spectrum: Opportunities on the Horizon.
  • How should the Commission evaluate spectrum opportunities in the frequency bands below 3.7GHz?
  • Is it possible to prioritize frequency bands within each of the ranges of spectrum to more readily address the gaps identified?
  • What are the most cost effective approaches to determining the actual use of spectrum in a given band?
  • What role has secondary spectrum markets played in smaller entities gaining access to already licensed spectrum , particularly in rural areas?
  • What can be done to allow secondary spectrum markets to operate more effectively and more efficiently?
  • Are the other methods we should consider such as micro-leasing?
Third Panel: Innovating in Spectrum Access—Technological Advances and Other Approaches to Facilitate More Productive Spectrum Use.
  • What technologies have been developed to facilitate more innovative and intense spectrum use, and access to spectrum, including software defined radios, new signal detection and contention-sensing technologies?
  • Are there any new rules of spectrum etiquette that would permit more intense and dynamic use and access to spectrum?
  • What policies can be adopted to help accelerate innovation and technological advances in spectrum access and use

Agenda

1:30 pm Overview of the Three Panels: John Leibovitz, Deputy Bureau Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
 
1:35 pm Panel 1: 4G Supply and Demand. Moderator, John Leibovitz, Deputy Bureau Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau introduce panelists
 
1:40 pm 85 minutes for questions from the FCC moderating panel, from the web, from the floor, and discussion among panelists.
  • Tarun Gupta, Ph.D, Vice President of Strategic Development, FiberTower
  • Rajiv Laroia, Ph.D, Senior Vice President of Technology, Qualcomm
  • Gavin R. Leach, Vice-President for Finance and Administration, Northern Michigan University
  • Kris Rinne, Senior Vice President, Architecture and Planning, AT&T, Inc. 
  • John Saw, Ph.D, Senior Vice President and Chief Technology Officer, Clearwire
  • Bill Stone, Executive Director, Network Strategy, Verizon Wireless
3:05 pm Panel 1 ends
 
3:15 pm Panel 2: Sources of Spectrum--Opportunities and Mechanisms. Moderator, Ruth Milkman, Bureau Chief, Wireless Telecommunications Bureau introduces panelists
 
3:20 pm 55 minutes for questions from the FCC moderating panel, from the web, from the floor, and discussion among panelists.
  • Coleman Bazelon, Ph.D, Principal, The Brattle Group
  • Michael Calabrese, Vice President, New America Foundation
  • Kathleen O’Brien Ham, Vice President, Federal Regulatory Affairs, T-Mobile USA, Inc.
  • Darrin M. Mylet, Co-Founder/Advisory Boards, Spectru-Station/WINS/Full Spectrum/Adaptrum 
  • William Webb, Ph.D, Head of Research and Development and Senior Technologist, Ofcom 
4:15 pm Panel 2 ends
 
4:25 pm Panel 3: Innovating in Spectrum Access—Technological Advances and Other Approaches to Facilitate More Productive Spectrum Use. Moderator, Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker introduces panelists.
 
4:30 pm 55 minutes for questions from the FCC moderating panel, from the web, from the floor, and discussion among panelists.
  • Ranveer Chandra, Ph.D, Researcher, Networking Research Group, Microsoft
  • Bruce Fette, Ph.D, Program Manager, Strategic Technology Office, DARPA XG Project
  • Paul Kolodzy, Ph.D, Independent Telecommunications Consultant, Kolodzy Consulting, LLC
  • Paul Mankiewich, Ph.D, Chief Technology Officer of the Wireless Networks Product Division, Alcatel Lucent 
  • Dr. Joseph Mitola III, Distinguished Professor and Vice President for the Research Enterprise, Stevens Institute of Technology 

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