U.S. Commerce Secretary Don Evans Announces Spectrum Management Summit

Washington, DC - The Commerce Department will host a summit in Washington, D.C., on April 4-5, to help identify the best solutions to challenges posed by management of the nation's airwaves, U.S. Secretary of Commerce Don Evans announced today.

The "Spectrum Summit", to be hosted by the Commerce Department's National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA), will address spectrum allocation and efficiency, the spectrum requirements of new technologies, and regulatory processes. It is a key step through which NTIA, the Federal Communications Commission and federal agencies are working together to make spectrum management processes more effective.

"We must continue to create the right environment for growth in private-sector technologies that use spectrum, while balancing delicate national security and public safety needs. This Summit is a major step forward in our far-reaching effort to deal with the complex issues inherent in spectrum management policy," Evans said. "We owe it to the American people to get the most out of this national resource."

According to NTIA Assistant Secretary Nancy J. Victory, the summit will focus on ways to solicit innovative ideas on spectrum policy focusing on the auction process, how to expand secondary markets for spectrum, how to encourage innovation in new wireless technology and how to define spectrum rights without limiting technology that could be used. The first day of the Summit will feature industry and government spectrum users, economists, analysts and technologists; the second day will be devoted to working sessions focused on the commercial, international and federal government perspectives. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Michael Powell is scheduled to participate, as is David Gross, Deputy Assistant Secretary of State.

"The Summit will bring together experts from inside and outside the government to explore new ideas to meet the practical needs of U.S. service providers, private and public safety users, government and consumers," Victory said.