RFSTUF

Not Just for Public Safety?

The WatchDesk Post
While FCC and public-safety representatives may disagree on spectrum issues surrounding the best use of the 700 MHz D Block, both groups agree on the fundamental goal: establish a nationwide, interoperable wireless broadband ...

... if Congress reallocates the D Block to first responders — government entities could leverage the spectrum to help fund the nationwide network. Many have interpreted this position to mean that public safety would be willing to lease spectrum to commercial carriers. While such an arrangement could make sense in some circumstances, many industry analysts question whether commercial leases would generate enough revenue to be worthwhile, given the realities of supply and demand. Indeed, leasing valuable spectrum in major metropolitan areas could provide some attractive revenue streams, but such urban areas are the environments where public safety would be least inclined to lease frequencies, because first responders could need all the spectrum, and a commercial operator may not want to operate on a secondary basis. Meanwhile, in rural areas, most industry sources believe public-safety could have enough spectrum to lease to commercial operators in most instances, but airwaves in sparsely populated locations would not be expected to attract significant bids from carriers. But another method of leveraging the spectrum ...