R Street Institute: Charting the Course of Our Spectrum Future

Featuring:

• Rep. Earl L. “Buddy” Carter (R-GA), Vice Chair, Subcommittee on Communications and Technology
• Jonathan Cannon, Policy Counsel Tech & Innovation, R Street Institute
• Marc Paul, Vice President, Policy, Charter Communications
• Patrick Welsh, Vice President, Federal Regulatory and Legal Affairs, Verizon
• Roger Entner, Founder and Lead Analyst, Recon Analytics
• Shane Tews, President, Logan Circle Strategies, Nonresident Senior Fellow, American Enterprise Institute
• Ruth Milkman, Partner, Quadra Partners LLC

Overview

The end of our team’s last event left the audience with an important question: despite having “moved away from beauty contests in the context of assignment of [spectrum] licenses, do we still essentially have beauty contests for allocation decisions?”

The United States has always been the global leader in wireless technology thanks to a healthy balance of licensed and unlicensed spectrum. But without imminent action, we could lose our leadership role. While, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) is embarking on crafting its national spectrum strategy, and Congress is considering a long-term spectrum pipeline, there is a growing divide between stakeholders as to whether the national spectrum strategy should feature more exclusive use licensed spectrum or a greater emphasis on shares and unlicensed spectrum.

In order to continue America’s national competitiveness and desire to meet the extremely high demand for wireless services, what is the best approach to a long-term spectrum strategy? How can we ensure we are making future-proof decisions that anticipate new and emerging technologies. If there are documented imbalances today, should policymakers set a goal of rectifying that situation? What is the role of various policy stakeholders across the executive and legislative branches? What are the implications as international allies and adversaries allocating bands to chart their wireless future? What economic and global competitive considerations should policymakers prioritize? Join us for an event that will feature industry representatives and policy experts who will debate these questions, and more.