The New America Foundation has produced an enormous, informative poster explaining the public interest in spectrum allocation, and the possible outcomes of the recommendations of the FCC's Spectrum Policy Task Force. The SPTF's report was, I think, very good — better than the New America Foundation would have it anyway. Though I personally think that New America is right to indetify the potential problems associated with granting a windfall to entrenched corporate interests by allowing property rights in spectrum, the critical isssue that the SPTF addressed was whether spectrum serves the public interest better when in the hands of exclusiveusers or when in the public arena. This is a pretty radical notion, and no matter whether the FCC turns spectrum over for use in common or for unregulated use to "owners" or long-term leaseholders, the fact that it's willing to concede that shared, "dumb" spectrum that is navigated by smart devices is superior to exclusive-use spectrum is remarkable.
On a personal note, I sure wish that every single link on that site wouldn't try to open up in its own window. I'm perfectly capable of holding down the command-key when I want to make a new window; I don't need the site's author deciding for me.
(via WiFi Net News)
