Wireless Future Program
 

Current Initiatives

The Future of Municipal Wireless

February 6, 2008

Congressman Mike Doyle Speaking on Municipal Wireless

When EarthLink announced its decision to withdraw further investments in municipal wireless networks in November 2007, the future of Philadelphia's network, along with hundreds of municipal wireless projects, became uncertain. Wireless Philadelphia, the nation's first big-city municipal wireless initiative, led the way for cities to invest in broadband infrastructure. Although a number of other muni wireless networks have been set up and are running successfully (such as St. Cloud, FL and Chaska and Minneapolis, MN) troubles with the Philadelphia model serve as a warning for the future of municipal wireless. Meanwhile, cities like Pittsburgh must overcome state pre-emption laws, pushed through by incumbent carriers, aimed at preventing towns and counties from filling broadband gaps with government-subsidized services. Click here to watch the entire event.

From Broadcast to Broadband

The Case for Unlicensed Wireless Broadband on Unused TV Channels

In May 2004, the FCC approved a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to allow a new generation of wireless devices to use vacant television channels or “white spaces” as a means to promote a more effective use of the public airwaves. New America along with a broad-based coalition of high-tech industry and public interest groups has advocated for the inclusion of unlicensed mobile devices such as laptops and iPhone-type PDAs (see policy backgrounder) to promote ubiquitous, more affordable broadband deployment as well as stimulate new innovations in consumer products, services, and applications. NAF released a working paper by Pierre de Vries of University of Southern California, on why unlicensed is the most productive use of the TV white spaces. NAF also released an issue brief where prominent engineers refuted broadcast lobby claims that using vacant TV channels for broadband will cause interference with television reception and a summary of interference Myths vs. Facts in the debate.

700 MHz Spectrum Auction


The upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction could provide consumers with a more affordable wireless broadband option, but only if new competitors can gain entry to the market. New America and the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) filed comments with the FCC urging them to maximize competition by adopting rules such as "anonymous" bidding, incumbent exclusion, "open" (wholesale) access, and other mechanisms to encourage competitive entry. NAF also released a working paper by economist Greg Rose showing that current FCC auction rules allow incumbent wireless providers to engage in "retaliatory bidding" and a study from former FCC Chief Economist Simon Wilkie which argues that a "wholesale access" condition on one or more of the bands in the upcoming 700 MHz auction is essential to promote competition in the wireless market.

Wireless Carterfone and Network Neutrality

Consumer Choice and Openness in Wireless Broadband

Currently, wireless carrier can restrict the phones and other devices consumers can use on their network, what device features they can access, and what software applications and content they can download. Such carrier-imposed limitations do not exist over traditional wired networks where Carterfone rules and other precedents allow consumers to connect any safe device and access any content they choose. New America is working to establish consumers protections and network neutrality in wireless broadband, filing FCC comments with PISC and releasing two papers on the subject: Wireless Net Neutrality: Cellular Carterfone and Consumer Choice in Mobile Broadband, authored by Columbia Law Professor Tim Wu and Wireless Carterfone: A Long Overdue Policy Promoting Consumer Choice and Competition by Rob Frieden of Penn State University. NAF also recently organized a forum entitled "Free My Phone!", gathering together government leaders, journalists, academic experts and industry represenatives to discuss the issue.

 

About Us

The American people collectively own the most valuable resource of the emerging information economy: the airwaves, also known as the radio frequency spectrum. Yet our nation’s antiquated spectrum policies create an artificial scarcity that reduces innovation and competition, inhibits the rapid deployment of universal wireless broadband services, sacrifices billions of dollars of revenue, constrains citizen access to the airwaves and erodes the public interest obligations of broadcasters and other licensees. The purpose of the Wireless Future Program is to promote fair and efficient use of the airwaves in order to unlock the full potential of the emerging wireless era for all Americans.

A more-detailed program description is available here.

Program Staff

FCC Comments

Click here for a list of all of our FCC filings.

The Wireless Future Program, along with allies in the public interest and high-tech communities, frequently submits comments in Federal Communications Commission proceedings of relevance to spectrum policy reform. The Program is currently monitoring and commenting on the following dockets:

  • Docket 04-186 - Unlicensed Operation in the TV Broadcast Bands
  • Docket 05-312 - Broadcast Industry Push to Implement a Digital TV Distributed Transmission System
  • Docket 05-345 - Nuclear Energy Industry Petition to Use the TV Bands
  • Docket 06-49 - Expansion of Licensing in 900 MHz Shared Unlicensed Band (used for community wireless networks)
  • Docket 06-150 - Service Rules for the 698-746, 747-762, and 777-792 MHz Bands
  • Docket RM -11361 - Skype Communications S.A.R.L. Petition to Confirm a Consumer’s Right to Use Internet Communications Software and Attach Devices to Wireless Networks
  • Docket 99-325 - In the Matter of Digital Audio Broadcasting Systems AND Their Impact on Terrestrial Radio Broadcast Services

IRC Chat

Manual Configuration: You can use SSL Encrypted Web Chat here. This will bring you to same page using HTTPS / secure SSL. You can connect directly to the IRC server with the address irc.wirelesssummit.org using port 6667 or the SSL port of 8067 (the latter is recommended). If you are using BitchX, Irssi, mIRC, or X-Chat just type /server irc.wirelesssummit.org 6667 or /server irc.wirelesssummit.org 8067

Web-based chat: Chat commands begin with / and should be familiar to anyone who has used IRC before. Channels (chat rooms) and private messages are organized in tabs at the top status bar. Once you click login, please be patient -- it will take a few seconds to load the web widget.

Below are a few useful commands and a quick summary of their use:
    /join Joins the specified channel. eg: /join #summit
    /list Lists all the channels on the network (this outputs a lot of information).
    /quit Quits IRC totally (same as clicking X in Status window).
    /whois Gives some information about a user. eg: /whois blah
    /help Displays more usage/help information.

    Click here for more info on IRC.
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New & Noteworthy

Recent Events

TV White Spaces:

Spectrum Coalition Proposals for 700 MHz Auction & Service Rules:

Wireless Carterfone and Network Neutrality: