This morning Chairman Genachowski spoke on spectrum, consumers and America’s small businesses, delivering the keynote address as part of the Mobile Future Forum. He called attention to the growth of broadband in America, the looming spectrum crisis and our solution of voluntary, market-based incentive auctions to free up that spectrum. He emphasized that “we must act” to set the pace for 21st century technology and said, “there’s no other choice than for the U.S. to lead.”
Given the theme, the event was held at Voxiva, a mobile based information solutions firm recently named one of the most innovative companies in the world. Peter Rysavy of Rysavy Research released a report prior to the Chairman’s talk entitled The Spectrum Imperative: Mobile Broadband Spectrum and its impacts for U.S. Consumers and the Economy. Here's an excerpt from the Chairman's speech.
To some, it was a surprise that the Broadband Plan included major sections on mobile broadband. At the time, many assumed that broadband was what you got when you connected your computer to the modem plugged into your wall.
…Mobile broadband is being adopted faster than any computing platform in history. The number of smartphones and tablets being sold now exceeds the number of PCs.
The Mobile Future report released this morning puts a fine point on this. According to their report, quote, “The clock is ticking, with rising demand rapidly closing the gap with existing supply. The consequences of inaction are severe, widespread and wholly negative for consumers and the U.S. economy.”
The point deserves emphasis: the clock is ticking on our mobile future. Demand for spectrum is rapidly outstripping supply. The networks we have today won’t be able to handle consumer and business needs.
Read the rest of the Chairman’s speech The Clock is Ticking.
As the number of consumers rise, it seems the cost is rising on the data plans as well and adding extra data charges for features that are on the smartphones from the manufactures. The wireless companys are trying to cap data usage for the ones that are grandfathered in the unlimited plans. They are doing everything to find a way to move them off the unlimited.
The President and government as a whole should consider the benefits of providing the entire country with connectivity, free of charge to everyone. Everyone that is that has the equipment. Money is definitely to made producing the means to connect, but with all the household dollars going to paying for actual connectivity plans there are fewer dollars available for the tools, smartphones, computers, tablets, netbooks, and the like. All the jobs that could be produced IF the US gov itself were hiring to make the service, free of charge to all, available to all in the US would be tremendous and at a time when US jobs are in need in almost every corner of the US. Not only could all those jobs get so many off unemployment, but it would put money into their pockets to buy the tools, the smartphones, the computers, the tablets and the like to connect to this new free internet. Yes Comcast might have a tizzy but they still have all the services like phone, TV plans and additional (not basic) internet perks to make plenty of money off of. Industries like Comcast can afford to redirect and the US and our citizens, don't we have to redirect if we are to survive?
I agree. Smartphones and Tablet PCs are much more desirable and consumer-attractive nowadays than pcs. US has to act to be able to meet <a href="http://www.allweekwalls.com">consumer demands and needs</a> for spectrum.