Summary

GAO reviewed the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC) new rule on promoting efficient use of spectrum through elimination of barriers to the development of secondary market. GAO found that (1) the rule builds upon the policies adopted in 2003 to facilitate the ability of licensees in our Wireless Radio Services that hold "exclusive" authority to lease some or all of their spectrum usage rights to third parties and to streamline approval procedures for license assignments and transfers of control in these Wireless Radio Services, adopts immediate processing procedures for certain classes of spectrum leasing arrangements and license transfers and assignments that do not raise potential public interest concerns, and extends the spectrum leasing policies to additional services and adopts a new regulatory concept, the "private commons;" and (2) the FCC complied with all applicable requirements in promulgating the rule.