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Abstract
During another session at the WCA show, Fred Campbell, chief of the FCC's Wireless Telecommunications Bureau, cited the "enormous record" in the 700 MHz band proceed- ing and noted that Com- missioners want to give prospective bidders six months to plan for the sale. "I'm not 100% sure when we'll get that order out," Mr. Campbell said. But, he added, "I do believe that we'll get an order out in time to give everyone the ability to plan."
"A true broadband strategy should incorporate benchmarks, deployment timetables, and measurable thresholds to gauge our progress," he said. "We need to set ambitious goals." He said the FCC's current definition of high-speed service of 200 kilobits per second should be updated and "more reliable data" should be collected. The FCC also should look for ways to increase "incentives for investment," Mr. [Jonathan S. Adelstein] added. And he said Universal Service Fund dollars should go to broadband service deployment.
On other issues, Mr. Adelstein told reporters that he was worried about delays in the 800 MHz band transition. "I'm very concerned about the pace of the rebanding effort in 800 MHz," he said. 'I've heard a lot of complaints about it, and, you know, we were given assurances that this would go smoothly, that the resources were there to make sure this happened effectively. And I'm concerned that those predictions aren't being met. So we need to really stay on top of this. This is a critical band for public safety, and we can't afford delay, we can't afford mistakes, because the public safety is really at stake here."
Mr. [Kneuer] said that "in a few instances, those issues have ... been more difficult to resolve than would have been hoped from the operator's perspective." He said NTIA' s lab has moved to test equipment of incumbents and new entrants to get "a sense of what the real coordination capabilities are. If it turns out that the government systems aren't going to be compromising their mission, then I think we'll move forward very, very quickly." In cases where interference is expected, NTIA will work to resolve any issues, he said. "The agencies are certainly incentivized to make this process work smoothly," he added.