Articles & Papers
Whitepapers and other publications by the Wireless Unleashed staff will be listed here.
The Possibility of Spectrum as a Public Good
SUMMARY: The FCC is considering opening up additional spectrum to unlicensed uses (the same kind of regulatory change that gave rise to Wifi.) The proposed change is more than just another routine regulatory battle. In addition to all the regulatory complexities, there is an enormous philosophical change being proposed here. The transmuting of spectrum from licensed to unlicensed amounts to a shift in what spectrum _is_, at least in regulatory terms. This matters, a lot, because with the spread of unlicensed wireless, the FCC could live up to its mandate of managing spectrum on behalf of the public, by allowing for and even encouraging engineering practices that treat spectrum itself as a public good.Whitepaper by Clay Shirky (7pp Word document)
Four Scenarios for the Future of the Network
SUMMARY: Four scenarios are constructed and then used as filters to try to foresee different outcomes of the current FCC rulemaking on use of analog TV spectrum for unlicensed cognitive digital transceivers. Scenario #1 is called Telcotopia; in it the telco/cableco duopoly thrives and the new TV spectrum has a beneficial but limited effect. In scenario #2, Utilityability, new TV spectrum services help entities such as utility companies (including municipality-owned utility providers) break the telco/cableco duopoly and create a viable third business sector based on the new technology. In scenario #3, Customer Owned Networks not only does the new TV spectrum do a big part to break the duopoly, but the entire "access provider" sector becomes unnecessary; this, in turn, unleashes a great wave of new network applications. In scenario #4, HeLLL with three Ls, the telcos Lobby, Legislate and Litigate to bring technological progress and innovation to an effective halt; in HeLLL the new TV spectrum only does what other telco services do, and does not deliver anything new to end users.Whitepaper by David Isenberg (9pp Word document).
Telecom Dogmas and Spectrum Allocations
SUMMARY: A substantial spectrum reallocation is called for. The current system is extraordinarily ineffcient and inadequate for the challenge of stimulating innovative new services and business models. It also perpetuates the traditional and deeply °awed bias in favor of content instead of connectivity. A proper spectrum reallocation would promote new services directly, and would speed up the developing restructuring of telecommunications. In addition, it would also help disprove many myths that are hobbling this vital industry.Whitepaper by Andrew Odlyzko (15 pp PDF).
Beyond Broadcast
SUMMARY: The wireless world is changing. Broadcasting no longer dominates the airwaves the way it did fifty or even twenty years ago. Yet, not only is a huge swath of prime low-frequency spectrum still allocated exclusively to broadcast television, but that spectrum is very inefficiently used. Opening up these frequencies for unlicensed devices or licensed wireless broadband systems would create huge economic and consumer benefits. Contrary to the arguments of incumbent broadcasters, spectrum reallocation could take place without impairing existing services. Broadcasters themselves could benefit from policies that free up low-frequency capacity for two-way services.Whitepaper by Kevin Werbach (10pp Word file).