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74–057PDF 2012

AVOIDING THE SPECTRUM CRUNCH: 

GROWING THE WIRELESS ECONOMY 

THROUGH INNOVATION 

HEARING 

BEFORE THE

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND 

TECHNOLOGY 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

ONE HUNDRED TWELFTH CONGRESS 

SECOND SESSION 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2012 

Serial No. 112–77 

Printed for the use of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

( 

Available via the World Wide Web: http://science.house.gov 
(II) 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

HON. RALPH M. HALL, Texas, Chair 

F. JAMES SENSENBRENNER, JR., 

Wisconsin 

LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas 

DANA ROHRABACHER, California 

ROSCOE G. BARTLETT, Maryland 

FRANK D. LUCAS, Oklahoma 

JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois 

W. TODD AKIN, Missouri 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

PAUL C. BROUN, Georgia 

SANDY ADAMS, Florida 

BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona 

CHARLES J. ‘‘CHUCK’’ FLEISCHMANN, 

Tennessee 

E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

STEVEN M. PALAZZO, Mississippi 

MO BROOKS, Alabama 

ANDY HARRIS, Maryland 

RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois 

CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota 

LARRY BUCSHON, Indiana 

DAN BENISHEK, Michigan 

VACANCY 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 

JERRY F. COSTELLO, Illinois 

LYNN C. WOOLSEY, California 

ZOE LOFGREN, California 

BRAD MILLER, North Carolina 

DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois 

DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland 

BEN R. LUJA ́ N, New Mexico 

PAUL D. TONKO, New York 

JERRY MCNERNEY, California 

TERRI A. SEWELL, Alabama 

FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida 

HANSEN CLARKE, Michigan 

SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

HON. BENJAMIN QUAYLE, Arizona, Chair 

LAMAR S. SMITH, Texas 

JUDY BIGGERT, Illinois 

RANDY NEUGEBAUER, Texas 

MICHAEL T. MCCAUL, Texas 

CHARLES J. ‘‘CHUCK’’ FLEISCHMANN, 

Tennessee 

E. SCOTT RIGELL, Virginia 

RANDY HULTGREN, Illinois 

CHIP CRAVAACK, Minnesota 

RALPH M. HALL, Texas 

DONNA F. EDWARDS, Maryland 

FREDERICA S. WILSON, Florida 

DANIEL LIPINSKI, Illinois 

BEN R. LUJA ́ N, New Mexico 

SUZANNE BONAMICI, Oregon 

VACANCY 

VACANCY 

VACANCY 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, Texas 
(III) 

C O N T E N T S 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 

Page 

Witness List ............................................................................................................. 2 

Hearing Charter ...................................................................................................... 3 

Opening Statements 

Statement by Representative Benjamin Quayle, Chairman, Subcommittee on 

Technology and Innovation, Committee on Science, Space, and Technology, 

U.S. House of Representatives ............................................................................ 11 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 12 

Statement by Representative Donna F. Edwards, Ranking Minority Member, 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation, Committee on Science, Space, 

and Technology, U.S. House of Representatives ............................................... 12 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 14 

Witnesses: 

Dr. James Olthoff, Deputy Director, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and Technology 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 15 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 18 

Mr. Richard Bennett, Senior Research Fellow, Information Technology and 

Innovation Foundation 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 27 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 29 

Mr. Christopher Guttman–Mccabe, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, CTIA– 

The Wireless Association 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 47 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 49 

Ms. Mary Brown, Director, Technology and Spectrum Policy, Cisco Systems, 

Inc. 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 57 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 59 

Dr. Rangam Subramanian, Chief Wireless and Technology Strategist, Idaho 

National Laboratory 

Oral Statement ................................................................................................. 70 

Written Statement ............................................................................................ 73 

Discussion ................................................................................................................. 80 

Appendix 1: Answers to Post-Hearing Questions 

James Olthoff, Deputy Director, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National 

Institute of Standards and Technology .............................................................. 95 

Richard Bennett, Senior Research Fellow, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation ................................................................................................ 98 

Christopher Guttman-Mccabe, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, CTIA–The 

Wireless Association ............................................................................................ 103 

Mary Brown, Director, Technology and Spectrum Policy, Cisco Systems, Inc. .. 106 

Rangam Subramanian, Chief Wireless and Technology Strategist, Idaho National Laboratory .................................................................................................. 110 
Page

IV 

Appendix 2: Additional Material for the Record 

Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum: Reprint from the New York 

Times ..................................................................................................................... 116 
(1) 

AVOIDING THE SPECTRUM CRUNCH: 

GROWING THE WIRELESS ECONOMY 

THROUGH INNOVATION 

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 18, 2012 

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION, COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY, Washington, DC. 

The Subcommittee met, pursuant to call, at 2:10 p.m., in Room 

2318 of the Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Benjamin Quayle 

[Chairman of the Subcommittee] presiding. 
2 

RALPH M. HALL. TEXAS 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON, TE)(.A.S 

RANKING MEMBER 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

2321 RAYBURN HOUSE OFFICE BUILDING 

WASHINGTON, DC 20515-6301 

(202) 225-6371 

www.science.house.gov 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation Hearing 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: 

Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 

2:00 p,m, - 4:00 p.m. 

2318 Rayburn House Office Building 

Dr. James Olthoff, Deputy Director, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of Standards and 

Technology 

Mr. Richard Bennett, Senior Research Fellow, Information Technology and Innovation Foundation 

Mr. Christopher Guttman-McCabe, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, CTIA-The Wireless Association 

Ms. Mary Brown, Director, Technology and Spectrum Policy, Cisco Systems, Inc. 

Dr. Rangam Subramanian, Chief Wireless and Technology Strategist, Idaho National Laboratory 
3 

U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES 

COMMITTEE ON SCIENCE, SPACE, AND TECHNOLOGY 

SUBCOMMITTEE ON TECHNOLOGY AND Th"NOVATION 

HEARING CHARTER 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation 

I. Purpose 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 

2:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m. 

2318 Rayburn House Office Building 

On Wednesday, April 18, 2012, the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation will hold a hearing to review efforts supporting the 

flexible and innovative utilization of spectrum, whlle ensuring the continued growth of the 

wireless economy. 

II. Witnesses 

Dr. James Olthoff, Deputy Director, Physical Measurement Laboratory, National Institute of 

Standards and Technology 

Mr. Richard Bennett, Senior Research Fellow, Infonnation Technology and Innovation 

Foundation 

Mr. Christopher Guttman-McCabe, Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, CTIA-The Wireless 

Association 

Ms. Mary Brown, Director, Technology and Spectrum Policy, Cisco Systems, Inc. 

Dr. Rangam Subramanian, ChlefWireless and Technology Strategist, Idaho National 

Laboratory 

III. Background 

Spectrum is a range of frequencies, divided into blocks or bands of frequencies that are 

"allocated" for particular services. Spectrum supports a wide variety of radio services, includiug 

public safety, defense, navigation, broadcasting, as well as both commercial and private wireless 

communications. These services are vital to our economy and to jobs-virtually every industry 

and business depends on spectrum for efficiency and competitiveness. As Thomas Power of the 
4 

National Telecommunications and Infonnation Administration states, spectrum is "fast becoming 

a pillar of America's digital infrastructure.") 

Maximizing the yield from this essential 21st century resource will create jobs, drive economic 

growth, and encourage innovation, and investment? Since spectrum is a finite resource, the 

purpose of spectrum policy, law, and regulation is continuing to accommodate new services 

without disrupting services while providing the maximum possible benefit to the pUblic.3 

Spectrum is best described as a natural resource that exhibits some of the properties of what 

economists call an unusual "common good,,,4 because it is not destroyed by use--instead when 

one user stops using a portion, it can be readily used by another. However, spectrum use is 

limited by its scarcity because, at any given time and place, use of one portion precludes another 

user from using that same portion.5 i\S a result of this characteristic, the use of spectrum must be 

regulated-with controlled access and rules for use--because unchecked use raises the 

possibilities of uncoordinated use and resulting interference.6 

The use of the electromagnetic spectrum in the United States is managed using a dual 

organizational structure. Understanding the Federal Govermnent's use of spectrum requires an 

understanding of the interplay between Federal and non-Federal usc of the same spectrum. The 

Federal Communications Commission (fCC) manages all commercial, and state and local 

govermnent spectrum use. 7 The National Telecommunications and Information Administration 

(NTIA) manages the Federal Government's use.8 All spectrum allocations stem from 

agreements between NTIA and the FCC. In other words, there are no statutory "Federal" or 

"non-Federal" bands. 

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) 

The Federal Cormnunications Commission (FCC) is an independent federal regulatory agency 

responsible directly to Congress. Established by the Communications Act of 1934, it is charged 

with regulating interstate and international communications by radio, television, wire, satellite, 

and cable. The FCC oversees the spectrum bands that facilitate the use of wireless 

communications by commercial interests, as well as state and local governments. The agency's 

spectrum goals include ensuring that all wireless operations co-exist; that public safety 

communications are effective; that innovative and modern services are provided to the public; 

and that access to spectrum results from open and transparent processes. The FCC regulates the 
5 

use of radio frequency bands of the electromagnetic spectrum by a spectrum management 

process called frequency allocation. The FCC is also responsible for administering spectrum 

auctions, the funds from which are paid to the U.S. Treasury. 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) 

The National Telecommunications and Infonnation Administration (NTIA) of the u.s. Department of Commerce was established in 1978. The NILA. is the President's principal 

advisor on telecommunications and infonnation policy issues, and in this role frequently works 

with other Executive Branch agencies to develop and present the Administration's position on 

telecommunications and infonnation policy issues. In addition to representing the Executive 

Branch in both domestic and internationa1.telecommunications and infonnation policy activities, 

NTIA also manages the Federal Government use of spectrum; performs cutting-edge 

telecommunications research and engineering, including resolving technical telecommunications 

issues for the Federal Government and private sector; and administers infrastructure and public 

telecommunications facilities grants.9 

UNTTED 

STATES 

FREQUENCY 

ALLOCATIONS 

.-... Cl--·I:::l:l-·· ......... 

:::::I-,··D= ... · 1liE'-'-

.. - _=_ CJ·--'·~ 

.:::;:;::"'" CJ-"~ _--

tl:9:;:::.~.=-~6;]--

.- CJ~· ~=~ 

a __ ·~ iiI-'- t::l=":!::'~.~ 

~~~=- --

Figure 1. The United States Frequency Allocation Chart. 

http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/spectrum_wall_ cbart_ aug2011.pdf 

Government Spectrum Usage 

The Federal Government uses spectrum to provide critical public services, and seeks to deploy 

the most efficient technology consistent with available resources. The Department of Defense 

(DOD) uses a significant portion of the Federal Government spectrum for national security 

9 See National Telecommunications and Information Administration, AboutNTIA, hnp·'/wv,Iw.ntia.doc.QOv/nbQut (last visited April 16, 2011). 
6 

pmposes. The law enforcement agencies (e.g., Department of Homeland Security, Justice, 

Treasury, and Interior Departments) use spectrum for command and control of their forces, just 

as state and local police and fire departments do, with the exception that they must be able to 

operate throughout the United States. The Federal Aviation Administration uses it for safety 

services such as aeronautical radio navigation, precision landing systems for all weather 

operations, surveillance, and air/ground communications. The Department of Energy uses it to 

transmit power control data and commands for their dams and power grids. The National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration uses Federal spectrum during satellite launches for 

communications with satellites to collect data and command them. 

In understanding the Federal Government's use of the spectrum, one must appreciate the 

interplay between Federal government and non-Federal government use of the same spectrum. In 

addition to the shared use of the same sections of spectrum for unrelated pmposes, there is a 

substantial interface between government and non-government radio operations. Government 

radio facilities provide private sector ships and aircraft communications, navigation, and 

surveillance service; Federal law enforcement agencies have intercommunication with their state 

and local government counterparts; Federal electrical power systems interconnect with nonFederal power systems, both domestic and international; Civil Air Patrol stations communicate 

with the military, and so forth. 

Public Safety 

Prior to September 11, 2001, states and municipalities were largely responsible for flISt 

responders' emergency communications and providing effective response. However, long before 

9/11, as radio technologies evolved, the awareness for better coordination and communications 

interoperability heightened. 10 Assigning spectrum for public safety wireless communications is a 

responsibility of the FCC; however, the ultimate decision regarding how spectrum access is to be 

divided has yet to be made. Some municipalities and states could develop commercial 

partnerships providing access to public safety spectrum in return for various resources, such as 

access to infrastructure or lease payments. Alternatively, the monetary value of spectrum access 

may be derived from commercial license auctions. Some proposals, including legislation 

introduced in the 112th Congress,l1 designate all or part of spectrum auction proceeds to funding 

public safety communications investments and operating costs. Proceeds would be deposited in a 

special fund, allowing grant administrators to borrow against anticipated future revenue so that 

grants could be provided innnediately. Twice, Congress has created specials funds to receive and 

distribute revenue from spectrum auctions for specific pmposes,12 which departs from existing 

law requiring that auction proceeds be credited directly to the Treasury as income. 13 

The end of analog television broadcasting freed up some spectrum for public safety use. Public 

safety agencies have announced the intention to combine portions of spectrum already assigned 

4 
7 

for public safety use, known as the Public Safety Broadbaud License, to build a nationwide 

broadbaud network(s). The Public Safety Spectrum Trust (PSST), a not-for-profit corporation, 

originally grauted the FCC the spectrum access that became the Public Safety Broadbaud 

License. 14 

The Middle Class Tax Relief aud Job Creation Act of 2012 (P.L. 112-96) gave NTlA the new 

responsibility of creating aud supporting a First Responder Network Authority, responsible for 

plauning, building, aud mauaging a new, nationwide broadbaud network for public safety 

communications. Together 1\ilA aud the First Responder Network Authority must establish the 

graut program requirements for a State aud Local hnplementation Fund, while NTlA will 

determine the graut amounts for states participating in the network. 

As part of this effort, the National Institute of Staudards aud Technology (NIST) will work with 

NTlA, the First Responder Network Authority, private industry, aud public safety organizations 

to conduct research aud develop new staudards, technologies, arid applications to advauce public 

safety communications. Core components of this program will include documenting public 

safety requirements aud driving the adoption of those requirements into the appropriate 

staudards; developing the capability for communications between currently deployed public 

safety narrow baud systems aud the future nationwide broadbaud network; aud establishing a 

roadmap that seeks to capture aud address public safety's needs beyond what can be provided by 

the current generation of broadbaud technology aud driving technological progress in that 

direction. The Middle Class Tax Relief aud Job Creation Act allocates up to $300 million to 

NIST, dependent on the funds received from future spectrum auctions, to be spent through FY 

2022. 

Commercial Spectrum Usage and the "Spectrum Crunch" 

There has been extreme growth in the number of active frequency authorizations at both NTlA 

aud the FCC; at both agencies, there are twice as mauy assignments now as there were in 1980. 

As spectrum becomes more crowded, efforts to ensure that spectrum is used as efficiently as 

possible to maximize its availability aud use by all become more urgent. Until recently, 

advauced technology has always kept slightly ahead of the demaud for spectrum. As demaud for 

spectrum increased, technology has developed that cau perform the same function at higher 

unused frequencies or increase spectrum efficiency aud re-use of existing frequencies. Now, as 

demand for spectrum is growing more rapidly, the technical advances needed to meet that 

demaud may be "pushing the envelope" of practicality, at least in the short term. 

Mobile data traffic has increased at an exponential rate over the last several years as the use of 

Wi-Fi networks and smart phones has proliferated. According to the Cisco Visual Networking 

Index Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast, the amount of mobile data traffic more than doubled 

for the fourth year in a row in 2011. 15 In fact, global mobile data traffic in 2011 was more than 

eight times larger than total Internet data traffic (both mobile aud non-mobile) in 2000.16 Much 

14 See Public Safety Spectrum Trust, http://WW\V.psst.orgfaboutjsp(lastvisitedApnl13,2012). 

15 CISCO, Cisco Visual Networking Index (VNI) Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2011~2016 4 Feb. 14,2012, available at 

http://www.cisco.com/ en/US/solutions/collateral/ns341/ ns525/ns537 /ns705/ns827 /wh ite _pa per _ c11-

520862.pdf. 

16 Ibid. 
8 

of this massive data growth is due to the increase of video data traffic, which accounted for over 

50 percent of data traffic in 2011 for the first time. 17 

Cisco projects global mobile data traffic to grow to 10.8 exabytes per month in 2015, which 

would be 18 times the amount of usage in 2011. 18 Similarly, according to Cisco projections, 

North American mobile data traffic would increase 16.5 times from 119 petabytes per month in 

2011 to 2.0 exabytes per month in 2016. 

Exabytes per MOr'l(h 

OGES 

pee 

rnonth 

-

1.3 E6 

~m 

-

.t!.2EB 

"'" -month2.4£1' pee • men'" 

II 

G9ES men'" "'" I .. ·· 

I Figure 2. Global Mobile Data Traffic, 2011 to 2016. Image excerpted from the Cisco Visual Networking Index: 

Global Mobile Data Traffic Forecast Update, 2011-2016. 

http://www.ciseo.com!enlUS/solutions/collaterallns341/ns525/ns53 7/ns705/ns827/white -'paper _ c 11-

520862.html 

The FCC currently allocates a limited amount of spectrum for mobile broadband usage. A 2010 

FCC paper projected that there would be a broadband spectrum deficit of 300 megahertz by 

2014, based on an analysis of current and projected data usage. 19 This projected shortage has 

implications for service quality, cost, and innovation. As a result, the FCC's National Broadband 

Plan recommended that 500 megahertz be made available for mobile, fixed and unlicensed 

broadband over the next 10 years to meet projected growth in demand.2o 

l1Ibid. 

18 Ibid. 

19 FooeraI Communications Commission OBI Technical Paper Series, Mobile Broadband: The Benefits of Additional Spectrum. October 201 O. 

http://transition.fcc.govjDaiILReleasesjDaiILBusinessj20lOjdbl021jDOC-302324A1.pdf. 

20 Federal Communications Commission, National Broadband Plan, Connecting America. 

http://www.broadband.govjplanj5-spectrumj#r5-8. 
9 

IV. Issues for Examinatiou 

Poliey Challenges 

Given continued growth projections and spectrum's finite nature, additional allocations of 

spectrum will only address the "spectrum crunch" for an indefinite period of time. Smartphone 

sales have eclipsed PC sales, and mobile broadband is being adopted faster than any computing 

platform in history. A smartphone places 24 times as much demand on spectrum as an old 

feature phone. A tablet device places 120 times as much demand on spectrum. According to the 

FCC, multiple experts agree that mobile demand for spectrum will increase more than 35 times 

in the next few years (3,500%). 

The amount of additional spectrum needed due to the increased demand created by mobile 

broadband could be difficult to achieve through the auction process unless large amounts of new 

radio frequencies can be identified and released for that purpose. Without abandoning 

competitive auctions, spectrum policy could benefit from including additional ways to assign or 

manage spectrum that might better serve the deployment of wireless broadband and the 

implementation of a national broadband policy. Policies to provide additional spectrum for fixed 

or mobile broadband services are generally viewed as drivers that would stimulate technological 

ionovation and economic growth. A policy that prioritizes providing spectrum to spur 

innovation, for example, could create new markets, new models for competition, and new 

competitors. 

As industry leaders and policy makers seek ways to more effectively utilize spectrum, they will 

need to be cognizant of potential challenges as spectrum use becomes more crowded. This 

crowding may affect applications and services on neighboring blocks of spectrum. It may also 

affect the growth of unlicensed, localized spectrum use such as household Wi-Fi networks and 

wireless health applications. Research and development will be necessary to find ways to 

minimize interference among both neighboring blocks of spectrum and shared spectrum. 

Research and Development 

Although radio frequency spectrum is abundant, usable spectrum is currently limited by the 

constraints of technology. Developments in technology will be necessary to provide more 

lasting solutions to the spectrum crunch. At any given location or time, much of the spectrum is 

"unused". Research into dynamic spectrum access, or "opportunistic use," has the potential to 

organize wireless communications to achieve the same kinds of benefits that have been seen to 

accrue with the transition from proprietary data networks to the Internet. Adaptive technologies 

could allow communications to switch instantly among network frequencies that are not in use to 

maximize network performance. 

In June 2010, the President issued a memorandum titled: Unleashing the Wireless Broadband 

Revolution.21 The memorandum called upon the Secretary of Commerce to "create and 

implement a plan to facilitate research, development, experimentation, and testing by researchers 
10 

to explore irmovative spectrum-sharing technologies .... " The National Infonnation Technology 

Research and Development (NITRD) Wireless Spectrum R&D (WSRD) Senior Steering Group 

(SSG) was fonned in response to this charge, to coordinate spectrum-related research and 

development activities across the Federal Govennnent. The purpose of the WSRD SSG is twofold: to help coordinate and infonn ongoing activities across Federal agencies; and to facilitate 

the identification of shortcomings in the Govennnent's R&D portfolio with respect to 

technologies that allow a more efficient use of spectrum. 

The WSRD SSG has identified spectrum R&D activities at the following Federal agencies: the 

Department of Commerce, the Department of Defense (includes each military department's 

R&D activities, and DARPA), the Department of Energy, the Department of Homeland Security, 

the Department of Justice, the Federal Aviation Administration, the FCC, the NTlA, the National 

Aeronautics and Space Administration, and the National Science Foundation. Research focus 

areas include dynamic mechanisms. to share spectrum; wireless test beds; simulation tools 

relevant to spectrum efficiency, access, and sharing; systems and models to transition from 

legacy architectures to new spectrum sharing architectures; hardware, protocols, and policy; and 

research into the security of spectrum-sharing technologies. 

The WSRD SSG bas highlighted the importance of coordinating Federal spectrum R&D with 

private industry, and works with academia and the private sector to help develop priorities, 

encourage private investment, and develop public/private partnerships when appropriate. 
11 

Chairman QUAYLE. The Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation will come to order. Good afternoon. Welcome to today’s hearing entitled, ‘‘Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless 

Economy through Innovation.’’ In front of you are packets containing the written testimony, biographies, and truth in testimony 

disclosures for today’s witnesses. 

I now recognize myself for five minutes for an opening statement. 

In today’s hearing, we are going to be reviewing efforts to ensure 

the innovative use of spectrum and the continued expansion of the 

wireless economy. This Subcommittee is uniquely positioned to address issues facing high-growth industries, and today’s hearing is 

a continuation of our series focused on advancing U.S. innovation. 

The U.S. wireless industry has been experiencing exponential 

growth. There are entirely new jobs and sectors of our economy, 

like the app market, that we never envisioned a few years ago. Our 

wireless industry is the most competitive and innovative in the 

world, in part because it has been able to operate under flexible, 

market-driven policies unfettered from excessive government intervention. These policies encourage mobile companies to compete by 

providing innovative, user-friendly services and offering consumers 

the best possible experience. Thanks to a cycle of innovation and 

competition, U.S. consumers win. 

In recent years the number of active spectrum frequency authorizations at both the Federal Communications Commission and the 

National Telecommunications and Information Administration, has 

dramatically increased. In fact, at both agencies there are twice as 

many spectrum assignments now as there were in 1980. 

As spectrums become more crowded, it is necessary to ensure 

that it is being used as efficiently as possible and that we have the 

policies in place to encourage industry’s continued investment in 

growth. Maximizing the yield and availability from this essential 

resource will continue to help create jobs and encourage innovation. 

The U.S. wireless economy has experienced tremendous growth. 

The subscriber connections growing from 38.2 million in 2006, to 

322.9 million in 2011. Growth in data traffic has been even greater 

as modern devices such as smartphones and tablets are much more 

data intensive. This massive data growth exacerbates the strain on 

spectrum availability. 

Advances in technology have always kept ahead of the demand 

for spectrum, but now as demand for spectrum is growing more 

rapidly, the technical advances needed may be pushing the envelope of practicality, at least in the short term. 

To ensure the future growth of this dynamic sector, it is imperative that research and development efforts continue to identify 

more effective ways to utilize spectrum. We also need to ensure 

that government policies are not creating impediments and that we 

are creating an environment where companies will continue to invest in new technologies. 

Our hearing today should highlight specific efforts by both the 

Federal Government and industry to address the spectrum challenges within our Subcommittee’s jurisdiction and to enable the 

continued growth of the wireless economy through innovation. 

We thank our witnesses for being here today, and we look forward to your testimony. 
12 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Quayle follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SUBCOMMITTE CHAIRMAN DAN QUAYLE

Good afternoon. I would like to welcome everyone to today’s hearing, which is 

being held to review efforts to ensure the innovative use of spectrum and the continued expansion of the wireless economy. This Subcommittee is uniquely positioned 

to address issues facing high-growth industries, and today’s hearing is a continuation of our series focused on advancing U.S. innovation. 

The U.S. wireless industry has been experiencing exponential growth. There are 

entirely new jobs and sectors of our economy, like the ‘‘app’’ market that we never 

envisioned a few years ago. Our wireless industry is the most competitive and innovative in the world, in part because it has been able to operate under flexible, market-driven policies, unfettered from excessive government intervention. These policies encourage mobile companies to compete by providing innovative, user-friendly 

services and offering consumers the best possible experience. Thanks to a cycle of 

innovation and competition, U.S. consumers win. 

In recent years the number of active spectrum frequency authorizations at both 

the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) has dramatically increased. In fact, 

at both agencies, there are twice as many spectrum assignments now as there were 

in 1980. 

As spectrum has become more crowded, it is necessary to ensure that it is being 

used as efficiently as possible, and that we have the policies in place to encourage 

industry’s continued investment and growth. Maximizing the yield and availability 

from this essential resource will continue to help create jobs and encourage innovation. 

The U.S. wireless economy has experienced tremendous growth, with subscriber 

connections growing from 38.2 million in 2006 to 322.9 million in 2011. Growth in 

data traffic has been even greater as modern devices, such as smartphones and tablets, are much more data intensive. This massive data growth exacerbates the strain 

on spectrum availability. 

Advances in technology have always kept ahead of the demand for spectrum—but, 

now, as demand for spectrum is growing more rapidly, the technical advances needed may be ‘‘pushing the envelope’’ of practicality, at least in the short term. 

To ensure the future growth of this dynamic sector, it is imperative that research 

and development efforts continue to identify more effective ways to utilize spectrum. 

We also need to ensure that government policies are not creating impediments and 

that we are creating an environment where companies will continue to invest in 

new technologies. 

Our hearing today should highlight specific efforts by both the Federal Government and industry to address the spectrum challenges within our Subcommittee’s 

jurisdiction, and to enable the continued growth of the wireless economy through 

innovation. 

We thank our witnesses for being here today and we look forward to your testimony. 

Chairman QUAYLE. I now recognize the gentlelady from Maryland, the Ranking Member, Ms. Edwards, for her opening statement. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman, and thank you for calling this hearing on the ways that we can address the impending 

spectrum crunch. I want to thank the witnesses in advance for 

your testimony today. 

The United States has long been a leader in information and 

communications technologies, with the majority of the top firms 

being American companies. However, in a sector that is all about 

the next big innovation, we can’t afford to rest on our past accomplishments. Wireless broadband is expected to trigger the next 

wave of innovation and holds enormous potential to create highquality jobs and economic growth. 

For example, one estimate shows that providing an additional 

300 megahertz of spectrum to wireless broadband uses will gen-
13 

erate 300,000 new jobs and $230 billion in GDP within five years. 

Advances in wireless technologies also hold the promise to benefit 

the public. For example, the use of mobile technologies for patient 

monitoring is expected to vastly improve the quality of patient care 

and reduce health care costs by as much as $6 billion by 2014. 

Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices are already part 

of our everyday lives. Consumers and businesses have learned to 

expect access to information at anytime from anywhere. This demand has resulted in the rapid growth of wireless data flowing 

across our networks. In fact, the amount of wireless traffic has increased by more than 100 percent in the last year alone, and that 

demand is expected to rise by a factor of 20 by 2015. 

The only way to accommodate this growing demand is to increase 

the amount of spectrum available for wireless services. The incentive auctions authorized in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 

Creation Act of 2012 will help to free up some of this valuable spectrum. 

However, if the United States wants to continue to lead the wireless revolution, then we have to make more efficient use of our 

spectrum. Advances in research and development are central to the 

goal of freeing up spectrum for wireless broadband. Spectrum is a 

finite resource, and in order to improve its use, we need to develop 

innovative spectrum-sharing technologies that allow multiple users 

to share the same slice of spectrum without interference or degradation of services. 

Imagine a mobile device that has the ability to scan across a 

spectrum, identify frequencies that are currently available or not in 

use, and send its communication without delay. Spectrum could be 

fully and effectively utilized under this type of dynamic system, but 

it is only possible through advances in research, development, and 

testing. 

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about the Nation’s wireless test bed capabilities, our current research and development needs, and what the Federal Government is or can be 

doing to accelerate the efficient use of spectrum and the development of innovative wireless technologies. 

I am also interested in hearing more about NIST’s plans for the 

development of a nationwide interoperable Public Safety 

Broadband Network. I am pleased to see that the role for NIST 

that Ranking Member Johnson and I supported and advocated for 

in the creation of an advanced wireless communication system for 

our first responders in H.R. 3642 was included in the Middle Class 

Tax Relief and Job Creation Act. 

I look forward to working with NIST and to make sure that this 

effort is successful and that our first responders have the 

broadband network they need to keep us safe. 

We need to ensure that the United States remains a leader in 

information technology, and wireless broadband is key to making 

this happen. The United States ranked ninth out of the OECD 

countries in relation to wireless broadband access. We need to do 

all that we can to ensure that the global wireless revolution grows 

from American innovations and benefits American companies and 

the American people. 
14 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman, for calling this hearing, and I yield 

the balance of my time. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Edwards follows:] 

PREPARED STATEMENT OF SUBCOMMITTEE RANKING MEMBER DONNA F. EDWARDS

Mr. Chairman, thank you for calling this hearing on ways to address the impending spectrum crunch. And thank you to the witnesses for being here today. 

The U.S. has long been a leader in information and communication technologies, 

with the majority of the top firms being American companies. However, in a sector 

where it is all about the next big innovation, we can’t afford to rest on our past accomplishments. Wireless broadband is expected to trigger the next wave of innovation and holds enormous potential to create high-quality jobs and economic growth. 

For example, one estimate shows that providing an additional 300 megahertz of 

spectrum to wireless broadband uses will generate 300,000 new jobs and $230 billion in GDP within five years. 

Advances in wireless technologies also hold the promise to benefit the public. For 

example, the use of mobile technologies for patient monitoring is expected to vastly 

improve the quality of patient care and reduce health care costs by as much as $6 

billion by 2014. 

Smartphones, tablets, and other mobile devices are already a part of our everyday 

lives. Consumers and businesses have learned to expect access to information at 

anytime from anywhere. This demand has resulted in the rapid growth of wireless 

data flowing across our networks. In fact, the amount of ‘‘wireless traffic’’ has increased by more than 100 percent in the last year alone and that demand is expected to rise by a factor of 20 by 2015. The only way to accommodate this growing 

demand is to increase the amount of spectrum available for wireless services. 

The incentive auctions authorized in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 will help to free up some of this valuable spectrum. However, if 

the U.S. wants to continue to lead the ‘‘wireless revolution,’’ then we have to make 

more efficient use of our spectrum. 

Advances in research and development are central to the goal of freeing up spectrum for wireless broadband. Spectrum is a finite resource and, in order to improve 

its use, we need to develop innovative spectrum-sharing technologies that allow 

multiple users to share the same slice of spectrum without interference or degradation of services. 

Imagine a mobile device that has the ability to scan across the spectrum, identify 

frequencies that are currently available or not in use, and send its communication 

without delay. Spectrum could be fully and effectively utilized under this type of dynamic system, but it is only possible through advances in research, development and 

testing. 

I look forward to hearing from our witnesses today about the Nation’s wireless 

testbed capabilities, our current research and development needs, and what the Federal Government is, or can be, doing to accelerate the efficient use of spectrum and 

the development of innovative wireless technologies. 

I am also interested in hearing more about NIST’s plans for the development of 

a nationwide, interoperable public safety broadband network. I am pleased to see 

that the role for NIST that Ranking Member Johnson and I supported and advocated for in the creation of an advanced wireless communications system for our 

first responders in H.R. 3642 was included in the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 

Creation Act. I look forward to working with NIST to make sure that this effort is 

successful and that our first responders have the broadband network they need to 

keep us all safe. 

We need to ensure that the U.S. remains a leader in information technology, and 

wireless broadband is the key to making this happen. The U.S. is ranked ninth out 

of the OECD countries in relation to wireless broadband access. We need to do all 

that we can to ensure that the global ‘‘wireless revolution’’ grows from American innovations and benefits American companies. 

Thank you, Mr. Chairman for calling this important hearing. I yield back the balance of my time. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, Ms. Edwards. 

At this time, I would like to introduce our witnesses, and then 

we will proceed to hear from each of them in order. Our first witness is Dr. James Olthoff, Deputy Director of the Physical Measurement Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and 
15 

Technology. Dr. Olthoff has been with NIST for over 20 years, and 

as deputy director he is responsible for the oversight of all calibration services at NIST. 

Next we will hear from Mr. Richard Bennett, who is a Senior Research Fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation. Mr. Bennett has extensive experience in network engineering and is the inventor of four networking patents. 

Our third witness is Mr. Christopher Guttman-McCabe, Vice 

President of Regulatory Affairs at CTIA–The Wireless Association. 

Mr. Guttman-McCabe’s experience in the telecommunication field 

comes from work in regulatory mandates, licensing, compliance, 

and general policy matters. 

Our fourth witness is Ms. Mary Brown, Director of Technology 

and Spectrum Policy for Cisco Systems. Ms. Brown handles Cisco’s 

policies surrounding IP-based technologies, wireless, and networking, and she has expertise in telecommunications issues and 

Internet law and policy. 

Our final witness is Dr. Rangam Subramanian. Did I get that 

close? Chief Wireless and Technology Strategist at Idaho National 

Laboratory. Dr. Subramanian also serves on the National Information Technology Research and Development Senior Steering Group 

on wireless spectrum sharing research and development. 

Thank you again to all of our witnesses for being here this morning. As our witnesses should know, spoken testimony is limited to 

five minutes each. After all witnesses have spoken, Members of the 

Committee will have five minutes each to ask questions. 

I now recognize our first witness, Dr. James Olthoff, for five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF DR. JAMES OLTHOFF, DEPUTY DIRECTOR, 

PHYSICAL MEASUREMENT LABORATORY, 

NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF STANDARDS AND TECHNOLOGY 

Dr. OLTHOFF. Thank you. Chairman Quayle, Ranking Member 

Edwards, Members of the Subcommittee. My name is Dr. James 

Olthoff. I am the Deputy Director of the Physical Measurement 

Laboratory at the National Institute of Standards and Technology. 

Thank you for the invitation to testify before you today on what 

has come to be called the ‘‘spectrum crunch,’’ and what NIST is 

doing to advance innovation in wireless communications. 

Mr. Chairman, the Administration understands the critical need 

to ensure that sufficient spectrum is available for wireless services. 

In 2010, the President directed the Department of Commerce, 

through NTIA and working with the FCC and affected federal 

agencies, to make available for commercial wireless use an additional 500 megahertz of federal and non-federal spectrum at frequencies near current cell phones bands. 

Let me briefly discuss some of the research activities underway 

at NIST related to the spectrum crunch issue. 

NIST recently launched a five-year program to provide industry 

with the new, sufficiently precise measurement methods and the 

channel measurement data it needs to lead internationally in the 

development of innovative millimeter-wave wireless technologies. 
16 

While the technical challenges to mobile communications at millimeter-wave frequencies are great, the benefits of utilizing this 

large bandwidth at millimeter-wave frequencies cannot be ignored. 

This new program will support industry with new tools for use in 

developing mobile millimeter-wave wireless systems. NIST innovation and expertise applied to the challenges of higher-speed wireless will offer new metrology so that U.S. industry can realize effective utilization of the entire millimeter-wave region. 

NIST is familiar with the needs of current U.S. telecommunications industry through its interactions with the Cellular Telecommunication Industry Association Certification Programs. Additionally, NIST is leveraging recent funding from DARPA, with 

whom we are developing improved oscilloscope-based techniques to 

characterize millimeter-wave receivers and also investigating the 

use of reverberation chambers for the testing of radiated power. 

We are also leveraging our interactions with the IEEE on standards for 60 gigahertz systems. This work will accelerate the modeling, design, verification, standardization, and interoperability of 

mobile millimeter-wave wireless systems of the future, positioning 

the United States at the forefront of the competitive telecommunications industry. 

The ability to measure and also model components, circuits, and 

entire systems at higher frequencies and bandwidths will provide 

tools for more economical wireless system development that can 

take advantage of this new spectrum. 

In addition to more precise high-frequency measurements, NIST 

is also looking at challenges related to radio frequency measurements and the spectrum crunch, particularly electromagnetic compatibility and interference issues. Work at NIST develops and promotes electromagnetic measurements, standards, and technology to 

support a broad range of technical needs. NIST programs focus on 

accurate and reliable measurements throughout the radio spectrum, in particular, radio and microwave frequencies. 

We carry out these programs in close coordination with our colleagues in industry, academia, and other government agencies, 

such as NTIA, the Departments of Defense, Energy, and Homeland 

Security to ensure that we are responsive to their most pressing 

measurement needs. One of our primary goals is to extend new 

measurement tools and theories to higher operating frequencies, 

wider signal bandwidth, and smaller length scales. These are required for next-generation applications in microelectronics, highspeed communications, computing, and data storage. 

The President has recognized the need for further investments in 

this area. In the fiscal year 2013 budget request for NIST, the 

President proposed a $10 million Advanced Telecommunications 

Initiative that would accelerate innovation in advanced telecommunications. This request would provide funds for NIST modeling and measurement science that would address key areas to enable significant innovation and communications in both the commercial and public safety sectors. 

Finally, the recently-enacted Middle Class Tax Relief and Job 

Creation Act of 2012 contains a provision very similar to that envisioned by the President’s National Wireless Initiative that would 
17 

provide NIST with up to $300 million to help develop cutting-edge 

technology for public safety users. 

The overriding objective of this anticipated funding is to build a 

broadband system to allow first responders and other public safety 

personnel anywhere in the Nation to send and receive data, voice, 

and other communications to save lives, prevent casualties, and 

avert acts of terror. Such improvements depend upon advances in 

measurement science, modeling standards, and testing. 

The technological challenges that stand in the way are significant. Public safety considerations impose demanding specifications, 

including mission-critical voice services, enhanced security requirements, unique applications, and specialized testing needs. 

In conclusion, NIST is leveraging its expertise in measurement 

science and standards in a number of areas to help improve the effectiveness of wireless communications in the United States. NIST 

will continue to work with partners across the Federal Government, academia, and industry to drive technological innovations 

that will enable U.S. manufacturers to maintain their leadership in 

wireless telecommunications. 

Thank you. I would be happy to answer any questions you may 

have. 

[The prepared statement of Dr. Olthoff follows:] 
18 

Testimony of 

Dr. James Olthoff 

Deputy Director 

Physical Measurement Laboratory 

National Institute of Standards and Technology 

U.S Department of Commerce 

before the 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

United States House of Representatives 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless 

Economy through Innovation 

April 18, 2012 
19 

Chainnan Quayle, Ranking Member Edwards, members of the Subcommittee, my name is Dr. 

James Olthoff. I am the Deputy Director of the Physical Measurement Laboratory (PML) at the 

National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) of the United States Department of 

Commerce. Thank you for the invitation to testify before you today on the so-called "spectrum 

crunch," and what NIST is doing to advance innovation in wireless communications. The 

Federal Communications Commission (FCC) website defines "spectrum crunch" in the context 

of mobile broadband as follows: "demand for mobile broadband service is likely to outstrip 

spectrum capacity in the near-tenn.,,1 NIST's efforts, in collaboration with other Federal partners 

such as the National Telecommunications and Infonnation Administration (NTIA) of the 

Department of Commerce, are helping to drive innovation here at home, thereby helping U.S. 

manufacturers and industries succeed on the global playing field. 

The President and Secretary of Commerce John Bryson are committed to pursuing policies that 

promote innovation in the use of spectrum through research and development. The President has 

stated, "This new era in global technology leadership will only happen if there is adequate 

spectrum available to support the forthcoming myriad of wireless deviccs, networks, and 

applications that can drive the new economy:,2 The projects and activities about which I will 

testify today share a common theme of accelerating innovation for the benefit of U.S. 

manufacturers and consumers in the wireless telecommunications sector. 

NIST's mission is to promote U.S. innovation and industrial competitiveness by advancing 

measurement science, standards, and technology in ways that enhance economic security and 

improve our quality of life. 

I am pleased to discuss today NIST's efforts to address the "spectrum crunch," as well as related 

activities impacting the wireless space. 

Overview 

In a February 2012 Report, The Economic Benefits ()( New Spectrum For Wireless Broadband, 

the President's Council of Economic Advisors states, "the only feasible way to realize the full 

potential of wireless broadband is to make new spectrum available for wireless services."} The 

Chainnan of the Federal Communication Commission (FCC)echoes this concern, stating, "The 

biggest threat to the future ofmobiie in America is the looming spectrum crisis.,,4 

The United Statcs is at a technological crossroads that is unique in our lifetimes: The FCC has 

reccntly allocated spectrum at frequencies in the 70,80 and 90 GigaHertz (GHz) range that is 

thirty times the total cellular bandwidth available today. Concurrently, semiconductor processing 

advancements have, for the first time, enabled inexpensive silicon radio chips that operate above 

50GHz. 

1 http://www.fcc.gov(encyc!opedia(spectrum.crunch 

2 http://www . whitehouse.gov /the-press-office/presidential-memorand um-unleashing-wireless-broadbandrevolution 

3 http://www.whitehouse.gov(sites(default(files(cea spectrum report 2-21-2012.pdf at 2. 

4 Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association Keynote, October 2009 
20 

President Obama understands the critical need to ensure sutlieient spectrum is available tor 

wireless services - to drive economic growth, create jobs, promote innovation, support federal 

agencies' missions, and improve public safety. In 2010, the President directed the Department of 

Commerce, through NTIA and working with the FCC and affected Federal agencies, to make 

available for commercial wireless use an additional 500 MHz of federal and non-federal 

spectrum. Additionally, the President's National Wireless Initiative - much of it enacted as part 

of the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act - invests in NIST's cutting-edge wireless 

innovation R&D, establishes at long last a modern, nationwide interoperable public safety 

wireless broadband network, and puts in place multiple incentives and other refonns to drive 

more efficient use of spectrum by both private entities and federal agencies. 

NIST is proud to be a full partner in these efforts. The following research activities underway at 

NIST are attacking the spectrum crunch and related issues: 

Millimeter-Wave Research 

NIST is working to provide industry with the new, sutliciently precise measurement methods it 

needs to lead internationally in the development of innovative millimeter-wave wireless 

technologies and associated standards. NIST's work will impact both the state of the art in 

telecommunications and the national economy as a whole. 

New more precise test methods are needed to help industry utilize these new frequency ranges. 

The current 1 GHz methods used by the telecommunications industry must become nearly 70 

times more precise to maintain equivalent accuracy, because measurement errors on the order of 

a few degrees can translate into erroneously demodulated information bits. 

NIST innovation and expertise applied to the challenges of higher-speed wireless will offer new 

metrology so that US industry can realize significant increases in etliciency - not only in 

standardization, but in system modeling design, test and spectrum utilization - over the entire 

millimeter-wave region. 

NIST is familiar with the needs of current U.S. telecommunications industry through its 

interactions with the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association certification programs. 

NIST is leveraging recent funding from DARPA, with whom we are (l) developing 

oscilloscope-based techniques to provide a calibrated broadband modulated signal source for use 

in characterizing millimeter-wave receivers and (2) investigating the use of reverberation 

chambers for free-field testing of radiated power. Our interactions with the Institute of Electrical 

and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) on standards for 60 GHz systems are well under way (IEEE 

802.15.3c) and, even though new transmission protocols will need to be developed, our 

experience on these committees will be leveraged. 

As stated above, this work will accelerate the modeling design, verification, standardization, and 

interoperability of the Gbps (Giga Bits per seeond) millimeter-wave wireless systems of the 

future, positioning the US at the forefront of the competitive telecommunications industry. The 

ability to measure - not just model- components, circuits and entire systems at higher 
21 

frequencies and bandwidths will provide tools for more economical wireless system 

development that can take advantage of this new spectrum. 

The potential economic impact of this challenging work is great. This new bandwidth is large 

enough to provide inexpensive, ubiquitous multi-Gbps mobile and fixed wireless access 

throughout the US, encouraging business growth through improved connectivity, and energy 

savings through mobile telecommunications. New mobile applications are envisaged, such as 

virtual meetings and telemedicine, and a cost-effective solution to fiber's "last mile:' The 

economic impacts that may be realized if the U.S. telecommunications industry can become the 

ground-breaking international leader in this technology far exceed the current multi-hundredbillion-dollar industry. 

Electromagnetic Compatibility and Radio frequency 

In addition to more precise frequency measurements NIST is also looking at challenges related to 

radio frequency in spectrum, particularly electromagnetic compatibility and interference issues. 

Work at NIST develops and promotes electromagnetic measurements, standards, and technology 

to support a broad range of technical needs. NIST's programs focus on accurate and reliable 

measurements throughout the radio spectrum, in particular at radio and microwave frequencies. 

Key program directions include: (1) the development of advanced measurement technologies 

required by both research-and-development and manufacturing communities; (2) the 

development and characterization of standard reference artifacts, measurement methods, and 

services that provide the basis for international recognition of measurements; and (3) the 

provision of expert technical support for national and international standards activities. 

NIST carries out our programs in close coordination with our colleagues in industry, academia, 

and other government agencies, such as NTIA, the Departments of Defense, Energy, and 

Homeland Security to ensure that we are responsive to their most pressing measurement needs. 

Examples that reflect the breadth of areas influenced by our programs include high-speed 

microelectronics for computation and telecommunications, advanced antenna systems for 

applications in military radars and deep space communieations, remote observation of the 

Earth's biosphere, acquisition and quantitative characterization of high-speed waveforms, 

medical diagnostic imaging, and reliable communications for our Nation's emergency first 

responders. 

NIST provides a broad range of state-of-the-art calibration services for fundamental radiofrequeney and microwave quantities, which ensures that the U.S. scientific and industrial base 

has access to a measurement system that is reliable, accurate, and internationally accepted. 

FUlthermore, NIST extends new measurement tools and theories to higher operating frequencies, 

wider signal bandwidth, and smaller length scales. These are required for next-generation 

applications in microelectronics, high-speed communications, computing, and data storage. In 

addition, NIST also develops new methods to measure the electromagnetie properties of 

materials and understand the interactions of electromagnetic waves with advanced materials. 
22 

The Radio-Frequency Fields Group develops theory and measurement techniques for the 

characterization of fundamental properties of advanced antenna systems and for the accurate 

measurement of electromagnetic fields. These capabilities are applied to the measurement of 

emissions and susceptibilities of electronic systems and devices. Of growing interest is the 

development of advanced measurement methods to characterize complex modulated 

telecommunication signals and the study of challenges faced by advanced communications when 

operated in complex real-world environments. 

Within the Radio-Frequency Fields Group are two areas of research related to radio-frequency 

and spectrum: the Wireless Systems Metrology Program, and the Field Parameter Metrology 

Program. 

Wireless Systems Metrology Program 

The Wireless Systems Metrology Program supports the growing wireless industry by developing 

methods to test the operation and functionality of wireless devices in the presence of various 

types of distortion. 

The Wireless Systems Metrology Program is also concerned with the impact of nonlinear 

distortion on the transmission of wireless signals, which can be especially severe for new 

wideband modulated signal transmissions. Accurately measuring distortion behavior of nonlinear 

radio-frequency devices is a key element in understanding how such devices will perfonn once 

incorporated into a system. Even under weakly nonlinear conditions, low-noise devices such as 

those used in receiver front ends will exhibit nonlinear behavior that includes harmonic 

generation and intennodulation distortion. The program has studied problems that commonly 

arise in performing and interpreting nonlinear measurements, such as power- and wave-based 

representations and the effects of terminating impedance on intermodulation distortion. 

Researchers are also working to develop traceability to fundamental parameters such as power 

and electric field. 

The program has had a number of accomplishments: 

Demonstrated that a reverberation chamber can be used to generate a variable muitipath 

environment, which allows wireless devices to be tested in the laboratory rather than in field 

tests. This is an accurate and repeatable approach that improves on "Can you hear me 

now?" 

Developed standards to ensure reliable wireless communications for emergency responders 

in difficult radio environments. 

Assisted the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, which is conducting a 

long-term animal study to evaluate health risks associated with cellular telephone fields, by 

testing the performance of 21 reverberation chambers that will be utilized in the study. 

Field Parameter Metr%f{.)! Program 

Consider the consequences if nearby electronics could interfere with a jet's instruments or cause 

an automobile to stalL The Field Parameter Metrology Program develops ways of measuring 
23 

electromagnetic (EM) emissions and susceptibilities to electronic interference of electronic 

devices and systems. The program maintains the capability to provide EM field strength 

measurements. 

Applications include the communications needs of first-responders to emergencies, 

measurements of the shielding effectiveness of advanced materials, effects from and on other 

electronic components, the statistics of electromagnetic fields in rooms and buildings, and the 

effects on biological subjects. 

This program generates reference EM fields and calibrates EM probes required for their accurate 

measurement. Accurate EM field measurements are needed to characterize our wireless world 

and ensure that the valuable electromagnetic spectrum is optimally used, that electronic systems 

are compatible and neither sources nor victims of EM interference, and that people are not 

exposed to hazardous fields. As instrumentation and electronics achieve higher clock rates, EM 

field parameter metrology is needed at ever higher frequencies. The program is working to 

extend current methods and facilities to higher frequencies, and develop new test methods to 

increase accuracy and reduce measurement costs. 

Research has begun on a quantum based electric field strength measurement probe that will 

potentially improve both the accuracy and sensitivity offield strength calibrations by more than 

an order of magnitude, as well as directly linking the measurements to SI units. The probe can be 

housed in the tip of an optical fiber, making it both extremely small and non-metallic thus 

presenting a minimal perturbation to the field being measured. In addition to calibrations, such a 

probe could find application to spectrum surveys and to the currently unaddressed problem of 

deterring interfering and emitted fields in-situ, that is, inside complex electronics to better solve 

electromagnetic compatibility and interoperability problems. 

The program provides information to standards organizations to help correlate measurements 

between various electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) test facilities. The program also 

cooperates with the national test laboratories of our international partners to perform round-robin 

testing and comparison of standard antennas and probes. This assures international agreement in 

their performance and reduces the uncertainties in the areas of metrology that affect intemational 

trade. Our goal is to develop and evaluate reliable and cost-effective standards, test methods, and 

measurement services related to complex EM fields for EMC of electronic devices and other 

applications in health, defense, and homeland security. 

The program has had a number of aecomplishments: 

• In collaboration with DHS, developed standards for testing communication links used by 

urban search and rescue robots. 

• Helps develop standards for using TEM cells (lEC-6l 000-4-20) and reverberations 

chambers (IEC-6 I 000-4-2 I) for EMC testing. 

Completed and documented high intensity radiated field (HIRF) shielding effectiveness 

tests on representative commercial aircraft (Boeing 737-200, Boeing 767-400ER, 

Bombardier Global 5000, Beechcraft Premier IA Composite Business Jet); the results were 

delivered to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). 
24 

Mr. Chairman, we need to do more. The President recognized the need for further investments in 

this area. In the FY 2013 budget request for NIST, the President proposed the Advanced 

Telecommunications Initiative. 

Advanced Telecommunications InitiativeS 

NISI's FY2013 budget also includes a $10 million initiative to accelerate innovation in 

advanced telecommunications. Broadband communications networks have become as essential 

to today's economy as the electrical power grid was to the Industrial Revolution. To compete 

effectively in this global business environment, communities and companies will need reliable, 

secure access to huge amounts of data, available anytime, anywhere. However, the U.S. currently 

lacks the teclmology to ensure adequate capacity to achieve a large-scale network capable of this 

vision. 

This network will need to seamlessly integrate wireless and land-based communication 

technology, and it will rely on revolutionary advances in network architecture. Current networks 

are already showing signs of strain. There has been a 5,000 percent growth in demand for 

wireless Internet data in the last three years alone. Currently, three percent of wireless smartphone customers use up to 40 percent ofthe total available cell-phone bandwidth6 causing large 

bottlenecks in mobile broadband access. 

Services are striving to address the rapid increase in demand, but new technologies and 

approaches are needed. Add to this the many new fields where reliable, efficient, secure, and 

low-cost networks are critical, such as medicine (e.g., Health IT, telemedicine), sensor and 

control networks (e.g., Smart Grid, environmental monitoring), and information systems (e.g., 

cloud computing), and it is clear that incremental advances in broadband technology or network 

capacity will not be sufficient to meet the future needs of a hyper-connected world. 

The request would provide funds for NIST modeling and measurement science that would 

address three key areas to enable significant innovation in communications in both the 

commercial and public safety sectors: 

Robust Next-Generation Network Technologies 

A vast chasm exists between academic designs and commercially viable Internet-scale 

technologies. NIST would help bridge this gap by developing and employing advanced 

test and measurement techniques to characterize critical design requirements for nextgeneration Internet architectures. NIST also would work with industry to evaluate and 

improve emerging designs. 

Signal Metrology for 21st-Century Communications 

The latest wireless networks are capable of carrying gigabits of data per second. 

However, an essential technology-the ability to measure complicated signals at new 

bandwidths-is not available. NISI's ultrafast electro-optic measurement technology, an 

approach not currently in place for the wireless industry, can be used as a precision 

source of quality control for wireless communications, enabling Internet access at these 

potential high data rates. Working closely with industry, NIST would also use the 

5 http://www . nist.gov /public _ affai rs/factsheet/adv _com m2013.cfm 

6 http://www.pcworld.com/article/173320/atandt_wireless_ceo_hints_at_managingJphone_data_usage.html 
25 

requested funding for research to improve the capacity of tiber optic communications 

links. 

700 MHz Public Safety Broadband Demonstration Network 

There is clear need for a unified, interoperable public safety communications system to 

help the Nation's first responders and other personnel respond most effectively to local, 

regional, and national emergencies. The Department of Commerce's Public Safety 

Communications Research program (conducted by NIST with the National 

Telecommunications and Information Administration) has created a 700 MHz Public 

Safety Broadband Demonstration Network to provide manufacturers a site for early 

deployment of their systems, to evaluate systems in a multi-vendor environment, and to 

stimulate integration opportunities for commercial service providers. The requested 

funding would support the continued operation of this facility. 

Benefits expected from funding of this initiative include: 

a U.S. broadband network with potentially 10 or more times current capacity, but that 

requires only a marginal increase in capital and operating expenditures; 

progress in developing "frequency-agile" wireless systems based on intelligent hardware 

faster microchips and other new technologies that take advantage of temporarily available 

spectrum; and 

continuation of a test-bed and collaboration with the telecommunications industry to help 

in laying the groundwork for an interoperable public safety communications network that 

seamlessly delivers voice, data, and video to first responders and other emergency 

personnel through whatever communication avenues are available. 

Advanced Public Safety Communications Research and Development 

Finally, the recently-enacted Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of2012 (P.L. 112-

96) contains a provision very similar to that envisioned by the President's National Wireless 

Initiative, that would provide NIST with up to $300 million to help develop cutting-edge 

technologies for public safety users. Funding for the program would come from auctions of 

reallocated spectrmn licenses. 

The overriding objective is to build a broadband system to allow tirst responders and other 

public safety personnel anywhere in the Nation to send and receive data, voice, and other 

communications to save lives, prevent casualties, and avert acts of terror. Such improvements 

depend upon advances in measurement science as it pertains to radio-frequency and optimization 

of available spectrum. 

The technological challenges that stand in the way are significant. Current market forces are 

insufficient to drive the research and development efforts needed to accomplish the 

transformation in public safety communication technologies and capabilities, as first responders 

as a group are relatively small compared to the larger market. Also, public safety users often 

demand specifications, such as mission-critical voice services, enhanced security requirements, 

unique applications, and specialized testing needs that have not been fully developed or tested in 

a broadband context. NIST's R&D work can contribute to developing and testing these 

requirements to enhance first responder's capabilities, while leveraging commercial 
26 

infrastructure, where feasible. Achieving these requirements in the most efficient manner 

possible will be critical to the success of a broadband system for first responders .. 

In conclusion, NIST's expertise in measurement science and standards is being leveraged in a 

number of areas to directly help address the numerous teehnical ehallenges involved in solving 

the spectrum crunch issue. NIST will continue to work with partners aeross the Federal 

government, academia, and industry, to drive technological innovations that will enable U.S. 

manufacturers to maintain their leadership in wireless telecommunications. 

I would be happy to answer any questions you may have. 
27 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, Dr. Olthoff. 

I now recognize Mr. Richard Bennett to present his testimony. 

STATEMENT OF MR. RICHARD BENNETT, 

SENIOR RESEARCH FELLOW, 

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION FOUNDATION 

Mr. BENNETT. Good afternoon, Chairman Quayle, Ranking Member Edwards, and Members. I am Richard Bennett, Senior Research Fellow at the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation and a former network engineer and inventor. 

Spectrum policy is important right now because computing is undergoing a dramatic, some would say revolutionary, shift from fixed 

location systems to mobile devices and applications. Smartphones 

outsold PCs last year for the first time, and that is a trend that 

is not going to reverse anytime soon. And last week Facebook 

bought Instagram for $1 billion, a little photo-sharing service with 

only 13 employees, and this jaw-dropping price, $76 million per employee, was justified in Facebook’s point of view because Instagram 

had already acquired 40 million users in only 16 months of operation, roughly as many as Netflix and Comcast have combined, or 

will be by the end of next week; they are adding a million a day. 

So the mobile revolution marks a new era in computing, and it 

is powered by spectrum primarily, also microelectronics and software. Another application category that we haven’t heard much 

about yet is, ‘‘Mobile Augmented Reality,’’ a category of application 

that actually interchanges video streams from the user to the 

Cloud in both directions to enhance the user’s experience as he 

moves around, he or she moved around in the world. In this picture 

here, you are actually seeing images projected from contact lenses 

that embedded electronics. This is a technology that actually had 

been demonstrated, although only for a one-pixel display right now, 

but, you know, more and more of that is coming. 

All of these applications require spectrum, the more the better, 

and because they are truly mobile, there are limited opportunities 

to offload their spectrum needs to short distance Wi-Fi networks. 

I am a little lost here. Spectrum assignments by regulators 

around the world have produced this fragmented system of small 

assignments for a large number of applications like you see in this 

spectrum chart from NTIA. It reflects what—from the modern perspective it is sort of like the government’s attempt to operate an 

app store. I mean, this is really what this looks like to me, because 

every one of these tiny little allocations is actually for a particular 

application. You try to think about how that would work in the 

kind of app store at the scale that Android and Apple run them 

today, it is completely—you can’t even imagine it. 

But there is a technology that is embedded behind this allocation 

system, and that is frequency division multiplexing, and you know, 

we don’t use that as—we don’t rely on that so much anymore. We 

have packet switching now and networks and technologies that go 

beyond that. 

So one of the tasks of regulators is to put Humpty Dumpty back 

together again, to take this spectrum map and to realign it so that 

we have a smaller number of allocations per larger contiguous 
28 

chunks that we can use for more diverse purposes by running packet switching, you know, on top of them. 

There are, of course, a number of technical tools to enable us to 

make this transition and to get better use. As the Ranking Member 

pointed out, dynamic spectrum access is one of those tools, authorized shared access is a more, kind of a third-way approach as we 

characterize it between fully dynamic or fully unlicensed and fully 

licensed. It is kind of licensed to a limited number of players who 

can cooperate. 

But the holy grail ultimately that is going to resolve this problem 

in the long run is something that we call simultaneous shared access. Examples of that are CMA that is actually built into all the 

smartphones of today, SDMA, which is Space-Division Multiple Access and then multiuser. These exist in nascent form. They are not 

fully developed in today’s networks, and we expect to see more research, making those technologies more robust. 

Many government applications are critical for first responders, as 

has been pointed out. I am not going to go into much detail on that. 

Our position on the Public Safety Network is it actually would be 

best for everyone if for the most part that application were recognized to be an application that should run on commercial networks. 

That position has the advantage of being disapproved of by both 

the commercial network operators and public safety. So I feel reasonably impartial in, you know, making that. 

But the point is that focusing on technologies we now can actually through the lever of government and how investment and research is channeled can actually use the development of technology 

as a way to resolve apparently intractable policy disputes. The policy dispute behind FirstNet was, you know, who gets access to that 

spectrum during times of crisis because both the commercial and 

the public safety users, you know, want it and have, you know, 

good arguments for it. 

So to more or less conclude, one of the topics that is, I think, 

going to be central and is certainly in the larger public debate 

about this issue, there is already some questioning about whether 

the spectrum crunch is real. Well, it is both real and an illusion, 

and it is simply a matter of the timeline. In 20 or 30 years there 

won’t be a spectrum crunch because we will be able to use spectrum so efficiently that multiple streams of data will actually be 

able to move over the same frequencies at the same time, but we 

are literally not there yet. And the research agenda is going to help 

us to get there. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Bennett follows:] 
29 

Richard Bennett 

Senior Research Fellow 

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF) 

Hearing on Spectrum Policy: 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless 

Economy through Innovation 

Before the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

of the Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

United States House of Representatives 

April 18, 2012 
30 

Summary of Testimony 

Computing is undergoing a dramatic shift from fixed-location desktop and nomadic laptop systems to 

mobile devices, networks, and applications. In 2011, the number of smartphanes sold worldwide 

exceeded the number af persanal computers sold far the first time. Only half of Americans have 

smartphones so far, so the trend will continue for some time. One day appliances and other devices will 

come to have smartphone capability built in, so the number of "smartphones" will exceed the 

population many times over. 

New users will use mabile social networks, among ather applications. last week, Facebook acquired 

Instagram, a photo sharing service with only 13 employees, for a billion dollars because Instagram had 

acquired 40 million users in only 16 months of operation. "Mobile Augmented Reality" is a new 

application category that extracts information from massive databases in the Cloud relevant to a user's 

location, activity, and preferences; it moves video streams between the user and the Cloud. All af these 

applications require spectrum - the more the better - and as they're truly mobile there are limited 

opportunities to offload their spectrum needs to short distance Wi-Fi networks. 

Spectrum assignments by regulators around the world have produced a highly fragmented system of 

relatively small assignments for a relatively large number of applications, as we see in the NTIA's 

spectrum allocation chart. We need to realign spectrum into a smaller number of larger allocations for 

general-purpose commercial networks because such networks have the proven ability to manage the 

demands of competing users and applications. In order ta do this - a process akin to putting HumptyDumpty back together - we need to shift most government applications and all low-value commercial 

applications onto general-purpose commercial networks. This is where the 500 MHz recommended by 

the National Broadband Plan will come from, and the only way to get to a more realistic allocation of 

commercial spectrum. All spectrum assignments ultimately come from a common pool. 

Many government applications are critical for first-responders during periods of crisis. We have 

technologies that permit certain applications to get high-priority treatment on commercial networks. 

But commercial users also desire more spectrum during such events, so we have a policy conflict. This 

conflict was resolved by Congress through the creation of FirstNet, the public safety network operated 

by NTtA, but this is not a satisfactory solution. Ultimately, FirstNet operations should be commercialized, 

as soon as devices have been developed that allow trusted priority access poliCies. When we have such 

devices, the balance between public and government use can be specified by contract rather than by 

spectrum fragmentation. 

Striking a balance between commercial and government use will remain a difficult policy problem until 

mobile network technology advances to the next stage. Ultimately, technology will enable reliable 

netwarks to support multiple simultaneous transmissions (many speakers at once) in the same spectrum, 

at the same time, and in the same location. Commercial network operators are motivated to solve this 

problem, but with the decline of America's R&D giants - such as Bell labs- funding for basic research is 

highly dependent on government's contributions. Taxpayer money is better spent on such research 

problems than on building duplicate network facilities such as FirstNet. Advanced sharing will have 

tremendous military benefits as well, since it does not depend on cooperative regulators abroad. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 2 
31 

Detailed Testimony 

Chairman Quayle, Ranking Member Edwards, and members of the Subcommittee, I appreciate the 

opportunity to appear before you to discuss the role of spectrum in the development of the mobile 

economy. 

I am a Senior Research Fellow with the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation (ITIF). ITIF is 

a nonpartisan research and educational institute whose mission is to formulate and promote public 

policies to advance technological innovation, productivity and competitiveness. Before joining ITIF three 

years ago, I enjoyed a thirty year career in network engineering and standards, where it was my good 

fortune to contribute to the initial standards for Ethernet over Twisted Pair and Wi-Fi. 

We at ITIF believe the spectrum challenge is critical to the economies of our nation and the rest of the 

world because computing is undergoing a dramatic shift from fixed-location desktops and nomadic 

laptop systems to mobile devices, networks, and applications. In 2011, the number of smartphones sold 

worldwide exceeded the number of personal computers sold for the first time.' Only half of Americans 

have smartphones so far, so the trend toward rapid smartphone and tablet adoption will continue for 

some time. One day appliances and other devices will come to have smartphone capability built in, so 

the number of smartphones will exceed the population by several times. This will change the both the 

Internet and the cellular networks quite dramatically. 

The Internet is used by some two billion people, but we can expect that number to triple within the next 

three to five years. The growth in the use of smartphones and the mobile Internet is even more rapid 

than the boom we saw in Internet growth at the turn of the century.' 

Smartphone users use many of the same applications that we use on laptop and desktop systems for 

personal productivity, information browsing, education and entertainment, but they also use 

applications that are enabled by mobility itself. We've already seen a shift in shopping habits during the 

holiday buying season as smartphone users share information about products, stocks in local stores, 

lines, and prices.' Thanks to web sites such as Zillow and Redfin, shopping for housing is a completely 

different experience today than it was even two years ago, as we can drive a neighborhood, see which 

houses are for sale or rent, view pictures of their layout, and even analyze their purchase history 

without leaving the car. Those who walk, run, or cycle for exercise can map their routes, monitor their 

speed, distance, and heart rate, and estimate calorie burn with mobile exercise apps such as 

Endomondo and RunKeeper that connect to social networks. 

Last week, Facebook acquired Instagram, a photo sharing service with only 13 employees, for a billion 

dollars, largely because Instagram has acquired 40 million users in only 16 months of operation. 

1 Henry Blodget and Alex Cocotas, "The Future of Mobile" (presented at the IGNITION WEST: Future of Mobile 

Conference, San Francisco, CA, March 22, 2012), http:! /www.businessinsider.com/the-future-of-mobile-deck2012-3. 

2 Mary Meeker, "Internet Trends 2011" (presented at the Web 2.0 Summit, San Francisco, CA, October 18, 2011), 

http://www.kpcb.com/insights/internet -trends-201l. 

3 Richard Bennett, "Live Different: Susan Crawford's Broadband Blinkers," Innovation Files, December 5,2011, 

http://www . innovationfi les.orgflive-different -susan-crawfords-broadband-blinkers/. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 3 
32 

Another social picture sharing service, Pinterest, is the third largest social network only two years after 

its formation" 

"Mobile Augmented Reality" is a new application category that extracts 

information from massive databases in the Cloud relevant to a user's location, 

activity, and preferences; it moves video streams between the user and the 

Cloud in both directions, sometimes from "Smart Spectacles" that combine a 

video camera and display screen such as laster Technologies' IEEE Spectrum 

2011 Technology of the Year winner. All of these applications require 

spectrum - the more the better - and as they are truly mobile there are 

limited opportunities to offload their spectrum needs to short distance Wi-Fi 

networks. The spectrum needs of tablets are more in line with those of the 

laptops they're replacing, however as tablets are "nomadic" devices that we 

use in stationary fashion from multiple locations. The spectrum needs of 

tablets can generally be met through Wi-Fi. 

The National Broadband Plan famously forecasts a need for 300 MHz of licensed 

and 200 MHz of unlicensed spectrum, less than double the 475 MHz we 

currently have for licenseds and the 350 MHz we have for unlicensed Wi-Fi alone" 

This estimate is low because we've seen that network applications are generally able to make use of all 

available bandwidth: Residential broadband connections, for example, are roughly ten times faster than 

they were in the late 1990s, and many of these connections are unshared. 

Mobile social networks are using infrastructure initially 

designed for low bandwidth telephone service. Video 

sharing applications will consume ten times as much 

capacity per minute as telephony with the best 

compression we can use. Cellular networks in major 

cities are running close to capacity during peak periods 

already. From 2006 to 2009, the first three years the 

iPhone was available on the AT&T network, traffic grew 

5000%.7 This figure probably represents users spending 

4 Bill Tancer, The 2012 Digital Marketer Trend and Benchmark Report (Experian Marketing Services, 2012), 

http://go.experian.com/forms/experian-digital-marketer-20l2. 

5 Brad Reed, "LTE Spectrum: How Much Do the Big Carriers Have?," Network World, January 23, 2012, 

http://www.networkworld.com/news/20l2/0l2312-lte-spectrum-255l22.html?page=1. 

6 Wikipedia, "List ofWLAN Channels," encyclopedia, n.d., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_WLAN_channels. 

7 Michelle Megna, "AT&T Faces 5,000 Percent Surge in Traffic," InternetNews, October 8,2009, 

http://www.internetnews.com/mobility/article.php/384300l/ATampT+Faces+5000+Percent+Surge+in+Traffic.htm 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 4 
33 

five times as many minutes on their iPhones as they spent on their dumb phones, and performing tasks 

that are ten times as data-intensive. AT&T forecasts a need for eight 

to 10 times as much data capacity over the next five years as it can 

carry today: Some of this capacity can be met by improvements in 

spectrum efficiency (mainly in terms of coding advances,) some by 

increased tower deployment, some by small cells, but much of it 

CARRIER SPECTRUM DEPTH 

depends on more spectrum. 

The balance between these methods is largely economic. Increased 

spectrum is the least expensive option, building towers the most 

expensive, and the costs of more spectrum are ultimately born by 

users. Some analysts believe that advances in technology alone will 

meet the demand, but this projection ignores the fact that historical 

advances in spectrum efficiency follow Cooper's law, doubling every 

30 months, while increases in demand follow Moore's law, doubling 

every 18 months.' left to its own devices, technology will fail to 

meet consumer needs. 

8x-l0x Volume Growth Over Next Five Years 

1$1' 

Z5B 

--

7OOIIIb:sptttrncltptll 

_llV- _H.,,, 

AWSsptdIWdtptII 

.n'", 

_ .. ,;,. 

_'"." m_ >1'.1I'c 

..... _,e,', 

-,,,,,.. 

~~'~Il "l~\II< 

_mi. 

V\h' 

8 Kris Rinne, "Building the Nation's Most Advanced Mobile Broadband Experience" (presented at the AT&T cia 

Executive Forum, Colorado Springs, CO, June 15, 2011). 

http://www.business.att.com/content/speeches/ATT_MobilitLNetwork_Evolution_KrisRinne.pdf. 

'''Martin Cooper (inventor)." Wikipedia, n.d., http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cooper%27sJaw. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 5 
34 

The most efficient users of spectrum on a per-user basis over wide areas are the large networks. AT&T 

and Verizon get by with 0.86 and 0.93 MHz per million subscribers, while Sprint/Clearwire holds 3.72 

MHz per million, according to Bernstein Research.'o 

Current spectrum holdings 

Spectrum Holdings I Million Subscribers 

I I I '1h~ dock is ticking on our mobile future, and Wi:! (.)lif'ot solve OUf mobfl(> 

challenges by snapping our fingers; we: must Jet withollt delay to fwe up 

spectrum fOf mobile broJdbJod," 

fCC (h,)Htt\;'tf1 (,<'fhldH}\';~k, ' 

If we can't find spectrum to meet the needs of mobile users as they transition to smartphones, tablets, 

mobile social applications, augmented reality, and sensor networks, innovation will stall and economic 

growth will slow. The FCC forecasts that these effects will become visible as early as next year." 

10 Craig Moffett, Company Reports (Bernstein Research, January 11, 2011). 

11 Michael Kleeman, Point oj View: Wireless Point oj Disconnect (San Diego, CA: Global Information Industry 

Center, October 2011), http://giic.ucsd.edu/pdf/pow _ wireless_poi nt_ oCdisconnect_2011.pdf. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 6 
35 

Spectrum Deficit 

The FCC projects a spectrum deficit by the year 2013 

One source for additional commercial spectrum is the government. Most analysts say that the U. S. 

government has assigned 300 MHz more prime spectrum to itself than our European neighbors; this 

spectrum is managed by NTIA. While the U. S. leads the world in the deployment of fourth generation 

l TE networks, we lag the world in the allocation of spectrum to LTE networks. 

The recent NTIA report, An Assessment of the Viability of Accommodating Wireless Broadband in the 

1755 -1850 MHz Bond, is good news and bad news for the reassignment of government spectrum." 

The good news is that some government agencies are playing ball, taking the exercise seriously and 

doing their best to increase the amount of spectrum available for general-purpose commercial 

networks. The NTIA says the entire band can be made available within ten years, and significant 

portions of it much earlier. 

They caution that some sharing is going to be necessary for quite some time in a few areas, but they're 

hoping that the sharing is something both the commercial sector and the government can live with. The 

bad news is that DOD and the FBI still insist they have applications of such importance that they can't 

live without the allocations of spectrum they currently have. It's likely that the negotiations between the 

civilian agencies and the NTIA involved spectrum experts while those that took place with the DOD and 

DOJ involved non-technical administrators. That's what the report seems to indicate. 

12 John E. Bryson and Lawrence E. Strickling, An Assessment of the Viability of Accommodating Wireless Broadband 

in the 1755 -1850 MHz Band (Washington, DC: U. S. Department of Commerce, March 2012), 

http://www.ntia.doc.gov!files!ntia!publications!ntia_1755_1850_mhz_report_march2012.pdf. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 7 
36 

The primary issue in reallocating spectrum from government use is whether the allocation makes sense, 

and the secondary issue is where in the spectrum map the government's assignments should be. The 

1755-1850 spectrum band is important because it's been assigned internationally for mobile broadband, 

so there are tremendous benefits to U. S. firms and consumers if we can use it for that purpose. While 

the NTIA appears to have dragged DOD kicking and screaming into the discussion about relocating some 

of its vital systems to over bands, they don't seem to have made much progress toward getting them to 

consider alternate ways of performing their missions that don't require 200 to 300 MHz more 

bandwidth than our European allies have dedicated to their military establishments. 13 Maybe that's too 

much to ask just yet. And of course the estimated relocation costs provided by DOl and DOD are 

outlandish, conSidering that all the equipment they've currently got should be replaced within five to 

ten years as a matter of course anyway, and this exercise has already been ongoing for ten years. 

The executive summary declares: "In conducting the analysis, NTIA and the federal agencies endeavored 

to protect critical federal operations from disruption and to reach comparable capability via other 

spectrum, commercial services, or means that do not utilize spectrum, where appropriate" but this isn't 

totally reflected in the body of the report. What we see is a desire to preserve the current set of 

government applications with as little disruption as possible and very little attention to developing 

alternatives to the current application-based allocation scheme that was the 20'h century's method of 

handling spectrum. 

13 Ginger Conton, "Free the Spectrum Now," CRM Magazine, May 2002, 

http://www.destinationcrm.com/Articles/Older-Articles/The-Edge/Free-the-Spectrum-Now-45519.aspx. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 8 
37 

Here's a summary of the number of allocations to government users in the band. The total number is 

3183 discrete allocations for particular purposes. 

Table 2·1. Number of Federal Frequency Assignments in the 1755·1850 MHz Band 

h ! l Ii ~. oj ~lli nmt h e~ ;11 Iii HJi ~ 

is i~ lij H ~'lJi ~ ~ r ~ flJi i>: 

!i u i~ ~i f!- ~ ~ Ii: 

)AGEHCY >: !! 

~ :;0 .. ~j IAj.rf~ " m 1 ) un \.&; 

:t.lSAIO 1 " "' "'" 1 

:Ar ., '"" , " 19 4 ".. "'" ",'" 1>' " 1l! 

}DOC , , 

.. I • iDOE 91 ., 'DOI 16 1 , ,. \ooJ 7 " 6 

:fM , "' • !HHS , , iWD 6 6 

,MMlneCorps , , .. 2' '9' i, " , .'" 20 48 14 8ll 

iOPM 

= 1 1 

.... • 11 17 

iTl'f!'mJI'V 10 10 

USC. 

~ ; 

ilJSPS .1 

-VA 4 

mrM '" >7" 701 " 33 :?ii9 m ll!1 4.' 5ltfU 

A detailed examination of the assignments is illuminating. 

The first application, fixed point-to-point microwave, should raise a red flag immediately because nearly 

all its 360 allocations can be probably be replaced by a wireline or commercial alternative. Point-topoint microwave is a virtual wire whose history pre-dates fiber optics and it's a laggard in terms of 

performance and quality. 

The report excuses these allocations as being cheaper or higher quality than commercial or wireline 

alternatives, but that analysis only works if you value the spectrum at zero. Replacing 95% of these 

allocations with fiber backhaul could end up being a net positive for the government because they could 

over-provision and lease dark fiber to the commercial sector. The only rational application for fixed 

point·to-point microwave these days is connecting mountain tops in rural areas where there's no 

plausible case for fiber and I doubt that's the government's typical use case. 

Per the report, "Tactical Radio Relay is a generic term for a class of transportable fixed microwave 

systems that support Army, Navy, and Marine Corps training at a number of sites and on tactical 

operational missions." These systems probably have a stronger use case that fixed microwave, but 

probably not much of one. The purpose of these allocations should be to connect a training network to a 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 9 
38 

fiber terminal, and it would be very surprising if DOD needs 579 separate allocations to do this for active 

training missions. Even if they had hundreds of training missions going on at the same time, they're not 

in the same place so there's no practical reason they need that many allocations. This is another 

category of microwave, and there are commercial systems and higher frequencies available to support it 

that aren't appealing to mobile networks. In fact many of these systems are indistinguishable from 

commercial mobile broadband systems in function and purpose. Most of these 579 allocations duplicate 

commercial systems. 

The report describe this application as one that "provides, via ground-based and airborne components, 

real-time monitoring of air combat training including gun-scoring; no-drop bombing; evasion and 

intercept tactics, techniques, procedures; and electronic warfare." It seems that the major problem with 

these allocations is systems that require specific frequencies on which to operate. Combat systems have 

to be capable of operating overseas, in countries that have not made specific allocations of spectrum to 

invading armed forces, so you'd want to have some flexibility in them. And in fact they are designed that 

way, with the ability to operate on a number of frequencies (just like a car radio.) See the following table 

for some options. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 10 
39 

Initial Categories 

of Systems 

FI •• d Point-to· Point 

Microwave 

MUitary Tactical Radio 

Relay 

AI, Combat Training 

Sv<lems 

Table 3-1. Potential Comparable Spectrum Bands 

Pot"ntial Sands for Relocation ! Factors Con.jd"r~ 

4400-4950 MH, 

lU5-l1SOOMH, 

WitaUneOf 

Comt'liefti.;d 

t41HSISMHt 

tOtS-lilO MH. 

14.s·14.714V 

lS.U6!HS.!S GKz 

Ptlssibty Neher 

1 •. , .• 15-27.5 GIIJ) 

11I0·21G5 MH, 

21oo·l310 Mil,' 

Equipment is .V.i~lble and there I. adequate 

spectrum. 

1 These bands minimize the need fOf modifications to 

1 equipment (e.I.~ existing equipment such as Mobile 

Subscriber Equipment and HClOS tune up to 2690 

MHl, ... no equipment modifications are nec .. ssaryl. 

I Airborne operations can be accommodated or .are !!::!!::::: 2200·2300 MH" l already being pcrformed in these band.; these band. 

l'OlS,2110MH, UGO"2]CJ$ MHz i have Sfmililt or better pfOp~.ltion (hat~(tt!'ristitS; and 

I.---•• -.-.. ~.--.. ---.-.-+----,,-... -,-,--~,~"-.. ~--~-l-E~!!:din~tion ~h ae~!ical teleme!!l~~J!,~~" ! AI,""'n" opcratlons CO" be accommodated or are P,ecislon Guided 2200·2100 MHt' ! already being performed in these band.; tlte,e band, 

Munitions 

Law Enforcement Mobile 

Video Surveillance 

Applic.ti0n5 

Hijrh-Resolution (fixed or 

transportable) V"odeo 

Data links lar 

SutveHfance 

1150· H90 MHz 

1415-l,ZSMIil 

1025-211DMIIJ 

225,128.61 

nS.4·l8OMHr 

U0-4S0MHz 

9OZ-'UMHt 

1350-11'lOMIil 

225-328.61 

ll$.4·]10 MHz: 

42G,4S0MHI 

'I02·'28MHt 

1350-U90 MHt 

Z360-2395 MHt 

1415·1525 MHl 

tG2S-t69S MH, 

202S·2110 MHt 

2200-:100 MH,' 

2160·2195 Mlfl 

14)S-1525 Mltl 

167$-1695 MIll 

20'5·2l10 MHl 

2200·2100 Mil,' 

2360-2395 MH, 

! have similar or better propagation characteristics; and 

\ coordination with aeronautical te-Iemetry is possible. 

Equipm""t is ••• i1.bl~; and/o, propagation 

characteristics are similar or better; and/Qr the 

incumbent radio services aTe similar to those in the 

1755·1850 MHz band whe,. successful shatlng eldslS. 

equipment is available; and/or propagation 

I 

characteristlcs are similar or better; and/or the 

Incumbent radio Services are similar to thos.ln the 

1755·1850 MHz band where su(eessful shating •• 'sIS. 

Traddns. Telemetry. and . . 'labl d h I -~- C d' I F de I 2J]15·2110MIIJ 20/30 GIl ! EqUIpment .. aval e an t er. '_quate amman log or" r. 712HSOOMHt I I spectrum. 

~._.~~.ce ~~~ ......... _ .. _~_ .. ~.~_.~ __ .... _ .......... _ ................................... L ...... _ .. '_"~'''.'''''_''''._ ... " ....... _ .. _ .......... _ ..~ ........ _ .......... _ .............. _~ .. . 

Air·ta .. Ground Telemetrv 

land Mobij. Ro""ti< 

VKleo Functions 

UAS. UAV, RPV 

1350-1390 MHz 

1435·1525 MHI 

2J]2S-2I1D MHt 

11S-!lU/ 

US_'-IBOM", 

41O-450MHt 

ll50-1190MIIJ 

t41HS15MHt 

225-328.6/ 

llSi_4,lSO MUt 

l02S·11l0MH, 

zzoo-noo MH,' 

1 Airborne operations can be accommodated or are 

2Z00-23OO Mil" I .Iready being pc.formed III these bands; these bands 

2160·2)9$ MUt 

IG1S·t69S Mil, 

20ZS-Z110 MHt 

U0l)..2310 MK1+ 

2160·2195 MHz 

44DO-4950 MHt 

14.5·14.7145/ 

IS,U6S·1S.JSGHt 

l have similar Of better propagation thar.acteristics; and 

I coordination with aeronautical telemetry is possible. 

Propagation tharatt.rl,tlu are ,imlla. or better an" 

the incumbent ,adlo services ar. simi"', to thos.l .. 

the 17SS-1850 MHz band where successful sharin, 

exists. 

Although these bands are already used~ they can also 

.uppo.t the operation. eondutlcd In the 1755·1850 

MH.band. 

.. ThP (rnT~t h..lnd for (Oi)<;,id(>fation i~ nnO-),}9'll MH?, hm\l~"'~. bt'>-fJU:.f' NlTIA idl?l1t!rll?,rl7'1,:"dJfNert !l..lod5., 

]}OO-1300 MHl anrl2}OO·].HO MH:. in -:-hp i;j:tiall st flf rUlriid.ltl? C\1mp.lfabll?- o.ln,l<;. ~hp~p bal"ld'i Mer ~on;ptimp'l 

referenced throaghoiJ! ttt'!J rcoort. 

The DOD is the prime developer of "software-defined radios" that operate at a wide range of 

frequencies, and these should be used in all military and law enforcement systems within the next five 

years in the course of normal replacement of obsolete equipment The instances in which a particular 

frequency is needed for testing are rare, but they do exist. They can be accommodated, however, by 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 11 
40 

short term use of the test frequency in a specific area rather than permanent assignment. Test 

conditions should resemble real-world conditions, after all. 707 allocations are at stake here, as well as 

the flexibility and utility of real combat systems. 

These systems "provide critical tactical communications between launched weapons and controlling 

platforms, allowing for precise and effective targeting." Like other air combat training systems, they 

need to function in real-world settings that don't provide them with a dedicated band and the ability to 

share and adapt to such conditions. They can be re-assigned to the same bands as air combat training 

systems. 

Here's an application that makes some sense: "DOD satellites provide communications, navigation, 

surveillance, missile early warning, weather monitoring, and research and development support." This 

application needs some specific spectrum assignments because it's doing things that aren't generic and 

don't have to co-exist with generic systems. These systems have some general utility, and aren't going 

to be usurped by commercial systems. Unfortunately, DOD has not build spectrum flexibility into 

satellites in the past, so they're less functional than car radios in this respect. They propose to make a 

minimal change to allow the use of two bands in future satellites (the current "L" band and the future 

"S" band) but no more. This seems a bit uncooperative given that the "s" band at 2025-2110 MHz is 

pretty juicy for mobile broadband and there's a lot of spectrum available above 3 GHz that doesn't 

appeal to mobile. 

We'd like to see a general principle in place to the effect that we don't launch billion dollar systems into 

space that are hard-wired to operate on only one or two frequencies. 

The report says it all: "Aeronautical mobile telemetry systems operate from manned aircraft, unmanned 

vehicles, aerostats, missiles, or other platforms to provide real-time flight characteristics from the 

airborne vehicles to the ground, real-time video of cockpit or project information, real-time monitoring 

of flight research/test parameters, and real-time command and control of the vehicle. 

"NASA determined that it can vacate its aeronautical mobile telemetry operations from the entire 1755-

1850 MHz band in less than five years. Relocation to the 2025-2110 MHz and 5091-5150 MHz band 

requires a primary federal allocation for the aeronautical mobile service." But DOD takes longer and 

wants more spectrum in return. 

Of all the applications in the NTIA report, this is the most puzzling. The report declares: "DHS, DOJ, and 

the Treasury state they need to retain up to 30 megahertz of contiguous spectrum for surveillance in the 

1780-1850 MHz band pending the successful development of new technology and the availability of 

spectrum in the comparable bands." Granted, keeping the people safe from terrorists, criminals, and tax 

evaders is a noble work, but video bits are not so special that they need their own network. Commercial 

networks can eaSily accommodate the needs of law enforcement for transporting video bits just as they 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 12 
41 

must do the very same job for consumers every day. There is no justification for putting 30 MHz of 

contiguous spectrum on hold just after allocating the 0 Block to the nation-wide public safety network 

that's about to be built. The NTIA needs to say "no" to this application, resoundingly. 

The report advises that "The use of unmanned aerial systems has grown significantly with deployment 

of more sophisticated payloads for expanded functions of electronic attack, communications relay, 

firefighting, science observation, and search and rescue" and asks for the 2025-2110 MHz band to 

support this app, gulp. That's twice as much spectrum as T-Mobile has today. This is a terrestrial 

application that seems to have most relevance for temporary uses within U. S. borders. Hence it's 

difficult to justify such a huge allocation for it. 

It seems that the ice is beginning to melt around federal spectrum allocations in the 1755-1850 MHz 

band. Civilian agencies are generally working in the right spirit toward the national goal, and military and 

law enforcement agencies are beginning to recognize that their extravagant historical claims on 

spectrum rights need to be scaled back, even if they're not entirely happy about it. 

This exercise can be judged effective only if the total amount of government spectrum is sharply 

reduced; simply moving government agencies from one prime spot below 3 GHz to another is actually a 

failure. Agencies should also realize that they serve the public by performing their roles to the best of 

their abilities, and these roles do not generally include network operations. The DOD is strangely lacking 

in enthusiasm for the software-defined radio technology it pioneered. It's important that we understand 

why. 

The same RF spectrum exists around the world, but our regulatory process has assigned too much to 

government use - roughly 300 MHz ofthe prime frequencies between 500 MHz and 3GHz. We have also 

assigned too much spectrum to satellite-based Mobile Telephone Services (MSS) with limited capacity 

and high latency.'4 When the Telstar satellites were launched in the 1960s, there were high hopes that 

satellites would enable a wide range of applications, but experience shows that satellite networks are a 

poor substitute for wireline and terrestrial wireless ones in practically all applications except one-way 

broadcasting. Satellite signals have high delay - on the order of a half-second round trip - and cover an 

area that's excessively large. 

The more general problem around the world is the 100 year history of assigning spectrum to 

applications ratherthan to networks. The following diagram illustrates the complexity ofthe U. S. 

14 European Commission, "eCommunications: Radio Spectrum Policy: Mobile Satellite Services," Europe's 

In/ormation Society, n.d., 

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/policy/ecomm/radio_spectrum/topics/ecs/mss/index _en. htm. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 13 
42 

spectrum allocation system. A more ideal system would many fewer allocations, each for a substantially 

larger amount of spectrum." 

UNITED 

STATES 

FREQUENCY 

ALLOCATIONS 

From the application perspective, spectrum sharing on commercial networks is a solved problem. We 

don't have one network for Instagram and another for Pinterest, we have one group of networks that 

handle a wide range of applications. What we're doing with such technologies as Dynamic Spectrum 

Access and Authorized Shared Access is reversing the effects of historical spectrum allocation policy. 

When successful, these approaches will create networks that resemble commercial networks in their 

application support. This is a way of putting Humpty-Dumpty back together again. 

In order to meet the need for network capacity, carriers will supply more spectrum per user. The easiest 

way to do this is to offload the cellular network onto femto cells and Wi-Fi networks, but this is a limited 

strategy because it fails to meet the needs of mobility. Wi-Fi is a nomadic network, not a truly mobile 

one, and femto cells have similar characteristics. The small cells that will help relieve the crunch are 

deployed outdoors on frequencies that coordinate with the macro cells on which the cellular network is 

15 Richard Bennett, Spectrum Policy for Innovation (Washington, DC: Information Technology and Innovation 

Foundation, September 2011), http://www.itif.org/files/2011-spectrum-policy-innovation.pdf. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 14 
43 

based. Building micro cells within the macro cellular fabric is a bricks-and-mortar exercise that requires 

massive investment and zoning approval.'· 

As Figure 10 indicates, the general problem of spectrum policy today is fragmentation: Regulators have 

assigned slices of spectrum to myriad applications and it's now all spoken for. The task before us is to 

reverse the effects of fragmentation, to essentially put Humpty-Dumpty back together again. The easy 

way to do this is to take spectrum away from low-value applications (such as the government's 

dedicated video surveillance frequencies, many lightly-used satellite services, and over-the-air TV) and 

assign it to high-value commercial networks by auction. Sharing is inherent in commercial networks; it's 

how they make money and they're very good at it. 

Unlicensed radio systems are most effective over short distances: Bluetooth and Wi-Fi are their 

signature accomplishments. These systems manage spectrum access at the network edge using 

"contention" systems that become less efficient as network distances and data rates increase. Licensed 

commercial systems employ centrally-managed spectrum access controls that are effective at a broad 

range of speeds over longer distances, but at the cost of much greater planning and more complex 

infrastructure.'7 Each approach has distinct benefits and ideal deployment scenarios: We would not 

want to build nationwide networks with Wi-Fi, and we would not want to centrally manage Bluetooth 

connections between smartphones and headsets. 

Packet Packet 

Time _____ _ 

In addition to the spectrum sharing that licensed commercial networks and unlicensed networks already 

do, research has developed (and will continue to develop) systems that coordinate spectrum use among 

networks themselves. The best known of such systems are Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) and 

Authorized Shared Access (ASA.) These systems simply coordinate spectrum access among and between 

network operators where idle spectrum exists and sharing agreements of some kind are in force. 

In order for these systems to function, the pool of idle spectrum can be used by capable devices when 

certain conditions are met and an operator claims the spectrum, either with government permission (as 

is the case in the White Spaces systems,) or in accord with a commercial agreement between network 

16 Richard Bennett, Going Mobile: Technology and Policy Issues in the Mobile Internet (Washington, DC: 

Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, March 2010), http://itif.org/publications/going-mobiletechnology-and-policy-issues-mobile-internet. 

!'Ibid. 

l'lbid. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 15 
44 

operators in other cases, or in terms of an informal agreement in yet other cases. The act of claiming the 

spectrum makes the network operational, and once this takes place, the process of network operatormediated sharing among applications follows, with potentially as much efficiency as commercial 

licensed networks exhibit over a broad range of operating conditions. 

These systems will prove beneficial in the short to medium term, until we reach the point where there is 

no longer any idle spectrum to claim and assign dynamically. At that point, advances in spectrum sharing 

will depend on more advanced and more beneficial technologies that that allow a single frequency to be 

shared among multiple simultaneous users. We don't do this today, and we won't do this with DSA and 

ASA. 

In DSA and ASA systems, as with common commercial systems, users take turns accessing spectrum in 

round-robin fashion, typically for a few milliseconds at a time. In other words, conventional packet radio 

systems, whether licensed or unlicensed, fixed or dynamic, only permit the transmission of one packet 

of data at a time in a given place, time, and frequency.'9 DSA and ASA systems reduce to the effects of 

this fundamental limitation by marshaling more spectrum to each location. The next stage in spectrum 

engineering is systems that allow for multiple packet transmissions in each time and place on the same 

range of spectrum. 

The most fertile test bed for DSA operations research is the vast pool of lightly-used and locally-used 

government spectrum. Many government systems that use spectrum only do so occasionally and in 

specific locations, so this spectrum is ripe for use by both commercial and non-commercial systems in 

other times and places. The IEEE 802.11y variant of Wi-Fi is a good example of the dynamic sharing of 

government spectrum.20 

Truly simultaneous spectrum use requires transmissions to be effectively focused or cloaked from each 

other so as not to create discernible interference; these systems can be called Simultaneous Shared 

Access (SSA.) One way of doing this is Space-Division Multiple Access (SOMA,) a system that effectively 

sends a radio beam to a receiver in such a focused way that other receivers don't see it. Another system 

for simultaneous sharing would be an advanced form of Code Division Multiple Access (COMA,) a system 

that scrambles transmissions so that only the intended receiver can unscramble them, and other 

potential receivers automatically filter them out. Current COMA systems reduce the data rates of 

simultaneous transmissions relative to theoretical capacity; advanced COMA would be less limited in 

this respect. 

Yet another method is Ultra-Wideband (UWB,) a system that uses very wide radio channels 

"underneath" conventional narrow channels. While conventional cellular channels are 5, 10, or 20 MHz 

wide, UWB channels are spread over 500 MHz each, so the UWB energy is very faint to cellular 

19 There are some exceptions to this rule, but they apply to systems that reduce packet radio data rates, 

such as COMA. 

20 Wikipedia, "IEEE 802.11y-2008," Wikipedia, n.d., http://en.wikipedia.org!wiki/IEEE_802.11y-2008. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 16 
45 

receivers. UWB transmissions are also pulsed to as to appear more like sporadic noise to conventional 

receivers. Therefore, UWB transmissions blend into the background noise filtered by narrowband 

receivers by design. Of these three approaches, only CDMA has proved a commercial success so far, but 

its sharing efficiency is less than expected. 

Research spending should focus on Simultaneous Sharing. It would be prudent to organize research 

funding for simultaneous sharing under a coherent National Science Foundation program. The best way 

to do this may be to create an NSF Engineering Research Center (ERC) for simultaneous sharing similar 

to the research centers that already exist in the Microelectronics, Sensing, and Information Technology 

area, such as the ERCs for Integrated Access Networks, Extreme Ultraviolet Science and Technology, 

Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere, and Mid-Infrared Technologies for Health and the 

Environment. 

A report released by the White House Council of Economic Advisors in February, The Economic Benefits 

of New Spectrum for Wireless Broadband, touts the benefits of "research on standards, technologies, 

and applications to advance wireless public safety communications." While such research is clearly 

necessary and beneficial, we should acknowledge that it is low-risk applied research with a known 

outcome. In addition to applied research, we need to support pure research that can potentially push 

the boundaries of mobile networking to the next stage. 

The research agenda can be organized on a timeline between short-, medium-, and long-term initiatives, 

as follows: 

Short-term Authorized Shared Access 

Medium-term Dynamic Spectrum Access 

long-term Simultaneous Shared Access 

When SSA is fully developed and non-SSA receivers are replaced by SSA-capable ones, the problem of 

spectrum allocation and management will become much simpler than it is today. 

Government and the private sector play different roles in the development of technology and the 

management of shared resources such as spectrum. We expect government to support pure research 

and to share support of applied research with the private sector. We expect government to set 

parameters and regulations for economic activities such as mobile networking, and for the private 

sector to provide actual services to the public. We also expect government to provide some general 

facilities such as GPS because there was no discernible business case for location-sensing systems when 

the GP5 system was devised and government assumed the role of provider of last resort as is sometimes 

the case. 

These "provider of last resort" situations can become a source of conflict when systems such as GPS or 

public safety networking become generally useful. In the case of public safety networking, we now have 

police and first responders around the country operating networks similar in function to commercial 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 17 
46 

mobile networks. Public safety got into the network operations business when they had no choice but to 

operate their own networks or to do without. This is no longer the case, as Congress realized when the 

9/11 Commission laid out the interoperability problems in New York on the day our country was 

attacked. A decade after 9/11, Congress assigned operational responsibility for public safety networking 

to NTIA. This was a step forward, but not the end of the game. 

The basic problem with a government-owned and operated public safety network is the conflict of 

interest between the government as regulator of spectrum allocation and network operations and the 

government's interests as a user and operator of networks. If public safety networking were to be 

carried out by commercial networks under contract with public safety agencies (under the technical 

guidance of NTIA) there would be no conflict and no balance to be struck apart from budgeting for the 

amount of network capacity needed to perform services deemed necessary by Congress year after year. 

Government can fund research, and it can make purchasing decisions to support the commercialization 

of leading-edge technologies. In so doing, it expands the pool of useable spectrum. Government does 

not need to compete with the private sector as a provider of network services generally. 

Conclusion 

Thank you for providing ITIF the opportunity to offer this testimony today. Despite the many challenges 

we face in converting our system of spectrum assignment from one of administrative fiat to a pragmatic 

and dynamic system of continual economic stimulus, the rewards are great. The nations that lead the 

way in the deployment of advanced technologies stand to reap the benefits that increased efficiency 

brings to economic growth. 

While it has become routine for policy analysts to bemoan the U. S. for its position in traditional rankings 

of wired broadband adoption (where we lag because of low rates of household computer ownership) 

and speed, we're the clear leader in LTE adoption." LTE is very significant step in the evolution of mobile 

networking not only for its radio technology but also because it's a system entirely based on Internet 

Protocol that stands to not only increase the capacity of mobile networks but to make the Internet itself 

a more reliable and robust system. 

Continued leadership in LTE depends on the continued release of spectrum to the most successful 

commercial networks through reassignment of government applications and the transfer of licenses 

from declining systems such as MSS and OTA television broadcasting to high-value mobile broadband. 

Leadership in the systems that will take the place of LTE and LTE Advanced depends on increased 

investment in the technologies for simultaneous spectrum sharing that will ultimately relieve the 

spectrum crunch once and for all. 

21 US Tops Global LTE Smartphone Market (Pyramid Research, October 10, 2011), 

http://www.pyramidresearch.com/points/item/l11010.htm. 

Testimony of Richard Bennett Page 18 
47 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, Mr. Bennett. 

I now recognize Mr. Guttman-McCabe for five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF MR. CHRISTOPHER GUTTMAN-MCCABE, 

VICE PRESIDENT, REGULATORY AFFAIRS, 

CTIA–THE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION 

Mr. GUTTMAN-MCCABE. Thank you. Good afternoon, Chairman 

Quayle, Ranking Member Edwards, and Members of the Subcommittee. Thank you for including me on today’s panel. I am here 

on behalf of CTIA–The Wireless Association, which represents the 

wireless carriers, equipment vendors, and software developers that 

are driving America’s leadership in wireless broadband. 

I am pleased to tell you that the United States leads the world 

in the deployment of fourth-generation wireless technologies. While 

the U.S. is home to less than five percent of the world’s population, 

we have almost 90 percent of the world’s LTE subscribers and over 

50 percent of the world’s WiMAC subscribers. The U.S. wireless 

ecosystem is setting the pace for innovation with ubiquitous highspeed networks, cutting-edge devices launched here first, and epicenter of the applications world. 

Five years ago, for the most part these capabilities didn’t exist, 

yet today we are increasingly using wireless devices, applications, 

and wireless networks to shop, pay bills, read the news, stay in 

touch, reduce energy consumption, manage fleets of trucks, control 

inventory, address health care issues, and teach our children. Not 

surprisingly, mobile data service demand is exploding. Wireless 

data traffic grew 123 percent from 2010 to 2011, on top of a doubling the year before and the year before that. The pace of growth 

actually is accelerating as the last six months of 2011 were 132 

percent greater than the last six months of 2010. 

To stay ahead of this demand, CTI’s members invest more than $20 billion annually, including more than $25 billion each of the 

past two years to extend and upgrade the capabilities of wireless 

networks. In these difficult economic times, our members actually 

are increasing their capital investments. 

But even at these impressive levels, network investment alone 

will not allow us to stay ahead of the exploding demand. Conservative estimates project U.S. mobile data traffic will grow by more 

than a factor of 10 over the next five years. If vehicle traffic in your 

Congressional district was predicted to grow by a factor of 10 over 

the next five years, you would want to know that the transportation authorities had a plan and were implementing it. The same 

should be true of spectrum. 

For this reason, and to maintain the advantages that flow from 

our world-leading position, CTI believes it is imperative that our 

government embrace policies that will make additional spectrum 

available on a predictable, near-term basis. CTI urges Congress to 

ensure that the FCC and NTIA faithfully and expeditiously implement the spectrum legislation enacted by Congress just this past 

February. 

While we believe that the incentive auction process will bring a 

substantial amount of spectrum to market, that will only be a down 

payment towards the 500 megahertz that the FCC called for in its 
48 

National Broadband Plan and that the President embraced in his 

memorandum on unleashing the wireless broadband revolution. 

In order to progress towards that 500 megahertz target as well 

as to keep pace with the hundreds of megahertz being freed for 

commercial use in a number of European and Asian countries, additional spectrum will need to be made available. CTI recommends 

that the 1755 to 1780 megahertz band be reallocated and paired 

with the available 2155 to 2180 megahertz band. Making this spectrum available in the short term for commercial use will not only 

benefit consumers, it will also add billions to the U.S. Treasury. 

CTI recognizes that reallocation is challenging, but spectrum 

clearing represents a substantially better path than a full default 

to spectrum sharing. While spectrum sharing may have a place as 

a complement to fully cleared spectrum, dynamic or 

opportunistically shared spectrum currently is not suitable as a 

substitute for large blocks of cleared, licensed spectrum. 

It is important to note that carriers and manufacturers are aggressively using many tools to try and meet this increasing demand, including the deployment of smaller cells and the use of WiFi offload. Notwithstanding these efforts, the release of additional 

spectrum into the marketplace remains the single most important 

thing that can be done to ensure the continued vibrancy of the 

wireless ecosystem. 

While spectrum policy obviously is paramount, there certainly 

are other factors that can affect the industry’s continued success. 

In particular, CTI urges Congress to be mindful that regulatory 

and tax policies have a substantial impact on the ability and incentive for our members to invest in new facilities and the development of new technologies. 

In sum, while I believe the wireless future is bright, there is a 

great deal to be done to ensure that we maximize that opportunity 

and continue U.S. leadership in this vital industry. CTI looks forward to working with you and your colleagues on these important 

matters. Thank you for the opportunity to appear at today’s hearing, and I look forward to your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Guttman-McCabe follows:] 
49 

CTJA 

The Wrreless Association' 

Testimony of 

Christopher Guttman-McCabe, 

Vice President, Regulatory Affairs, 

CTIA - The Wireless Association® 

Before the 

House Science, Space and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Hearing on 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation 

April 18, 2012 

-
50 

Testimony of Christopher Guttman-McCabe April 18, 2011 

Chairman Quayle and Ranking Member Edwards, and members of the Subcommittee, thank 

you for including me on today's panel. I am here on behalf of CTIA - The Wireless Association", 

which represents the wireless carriers, equipment vendors, and software developers that are 

driving America's leadership in wireless broadband. 

j am pleased to tell you that the United States leads the world in the deployment of fourthgeneration wireless technologies. While the U.S. is home to less than five percent of the world's 

population, we claim more than 20 percent of global high-speed Wireless broadband 

subscribers. As a result of this leadership, the U.S. is setting the pace for wireless innovation, 

creating jobs and building a competitive advantage for our economy. 

Investment in advanced wireless networks increases employment and has encouraged the 

creation of entire new sectors of our economy. Economists Robert Shapiro and Kevin Hassett 

recently estimated that "every ten percent increase in the adoption of 3G and 4G wireless 

technologies could add more than 231,000 new jobs to the U.S economy."l These jobs aren't 

just at large companies; increasingly, they are found in smaller, start-up firms that are 

leveraging the wireless platform to build new businesses. As economist Michael Mandel 

recently observed in a study for Tech Net, the "app economy" is now a substantial job creator. 2 

What makes this all the more amazing and impactful is that as recently as five years ago, the 

notion of "apps" was pretty limited, and unless you were involved in the wireless industry you'd 

probably never heard of them. Today, we're increasingly depending on them and use apps to 

shop, pay bills, read the news, and stay in touch. In a way, this is simply a logical extension of 

the process that has led your wireless device to replace a slew of products - things like PDAs, 

! Robert Shapiro and Kevin Hassett, "The Employment Effects of Advances in Internet and Wireless Technology: 

Evaluating the Transitions from 2G to 3G and from 3G to 4G," Jan. 2012, at 2, available at 

http://ndn.org/sites/default/files/blog fiies/The%20Employment%20Effect;%20of%20Advances%20In%2OInterne! 

%20and%20Wireless%20Technologv l.pdf. 

1 Michael Mandel, South Mountain Economics, "Where the Jobs Are: The App Economy," Feb. 2012, available at 

http://www.tecbnet.o.rgfy,(p-content/uploads/201'liQJJTechNet-App-Economy·Jobs-Study.pdf. 

1 
51 

Testimony of Christopher Guttman-McCabe April 18, 2011 

cameras, MP3 players, GPS devices, or even watches - that you used to carry or wear and that 

are now included In your smartphone. 

The demand for mobile data services is exploding. Wireless data traffic grew 123 percent from 

2010 to 2011, and the pace is accelerating, as the last six months of 2011 were 132 percent 

greater than the last six months of 2010. There also was a 43 percent increase in the number of 

active smartphones in 2011 as compared to 2010. 

To stay ahead ofthis demand, CTIA's members invest more than $20 billion annually (including 

more than $25 billion last year3

) to extend and upgrade the capabilities of wireless networks. 

But even at these impressive levels, network investment alone will not allow us to stay ahead of 

the exploding demand that is being driven by consumers' and businesses' appetite for mobile 

broadband services. Additional spectrum will be necessary too. 

The need for additional spectrum has been well-documented both by the government and 

respected private sector parties. Even conservative estimates project U.S. mobile data traffic to 

grow by a factor of more than ten between the end of last year and 2015. This demand is being 

driven by consumers' migration from feature phones to smartphones and tablets that, while 

employing advances in spectral and computing efficiency, allow users to demand more and 

thus strain wireless networks in an unprecedented manner. The evolution of machine-tomachine communications will only exacerbate this challenge. If vehicular traffic in your 

congressional district was predicted to grow by a factor of ten over the next five years, you'd 

want to know that transportation authorities had a plan to deal with it. The same should be 

true with regard to spectrum. 

For this reason, and to maintain the advantages that flow from our world-leading position, CTIA 

believes it is imperative that policymakers embrace policies that will make additional spectrum 

available on a predictable, near-term baSis. We also hope you will embrace policies that 

3 See http://www.ctia.org!media!press!body.cfm/prid!2171. 

2 
52 

Testimony of Christopher Guttman-McCabe April 18, 2011 

encourage investment and research and development, and refrain from imposing regulation 

that can deter the deployment of new infrastructure and technology. 

With regard to the first of these priorities, predictable, near-term access to spectrum, CTIA 

urges Congress to ensure that the Federal Communications Commission and the National 

Telecommunications and Information Administration faithfully and expeditiously implement 

the spectrum legislation enacted by Congress this past February in Title IV of the Middle Class 

Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 (P.l. 112-96). While we are hopeful that the incentive 

auction process will result in bringing a substantial amount of spectrum to market for 

commercial wireless services, that spectrum will only represent a down payment toward the 

500 MHz that the Federal Communications Commission called for in its 2010 National 

Broadband Plan ("NBP") and that the President embraced in his June 2010 Presidential 

Memorandum on "Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution.,,4 

In order to progress toward the NBP's target, as well as to keep pace with what is happening in 

a number of Western European and Asian countries, where hundreds of megahertz are being 

freed for commercial use, additional spectrum will need to be made available. Toward this end, 

CTIA recommends that government operations in the 1755-1780 MHz band be relocated so 

that band can be paired with available spectrum located at 2155-2180 MHz. This would make 

available a substantial swath of high-quality spectrum that is already used for commercial 

purposes in much of the world. Making this spectrum available for commercial use will not only 

benefit the industry; it also will aid the U.s. Treasury, which is likely to reap significant revenue 

(estimated at up to $15 billion) from the auction ofthese bands.s 

CTtA recognizes that reallocation is challenging, but spectrum clearing represents a 

substantially better path than a default to spectrum sharing. While spectrum sharing may have 

4 See b.l!~w.whitehpuse.gov(the-press-office(presidential-memorandum-unleashill&:wireless-broac!I:LiHlP.: 

revolution. 

5 Coleman Bazelon, The Brattle Group, "The Economic Basis of Spectrum Value: Pairing AWS-3 with the 1755 MHz 

Band is More Valuable than Pairing it with Frequencies from the 1690 MHz Band," April 2011. Available at 

http://www.brattle.com( documents/UploadLibrary!Upload938.pdf. 

3 
53 

Testimony of Christopher Guttman-McCabe April 18, 2011 

a place as a complement to fully cleared commercial, wide-area networks, dynamically or 

opportunistically shared spectrum is not suitable as a substitute for large blocks of licensed 

spectrum. This is because this type of sharing imposes restrictions that are inconsistent with 

traditional wide-area, high-capacity wireless network operations and which would impair 

carriers' ability to deliver the type of high-quality, low-latency services upon which usersespecially those in business and government - rely. Additionally, while there has long been 

speculation that advances in technologies like cognitive radio will enable frequency-hopping 

and decrease the demand for dedicated spectrum, the reality is that these advances have yet to 

produce a commercially viable solution. 

While additional spectrum must be made available for commercial use, additional tools are 

being used aggressively to meet demand. CTIA's members continue to invest in new facilities, 

deploying more than 30,000 new sites last year. This process will be aided by siting language 

included in the recently enacted spectrum legislation. CTtA's members also are moving toward 

the deployment of smaller cells and the use of wi-fi offload is now a standard industry practice. 

Our carriers and manufacturers are committed to driving spectrum efficiency to the maximum 

extent possible. Notwithstanding this commitment to the deployment of additional 

infrastructure and new efficiency techniques, the release of additional spectrum into the 

marketplace remains the single most important thing that can be done to ensure the continued 

vibrancy of the wireless ecosystem. 

While spectrum policy is paramount, there certainly are other factors that can affect the 

industry's continued success. In particular, CTIA urges Congress to be mindful that regulatory 

and tax policies have a substantial impact on the ability and incentive for our members to invest 

in new facilities and the development of new technologies. 

The history of the commercial wireless market demonstrates that granting an entity the right to 

the exclusive, flexible use of a block of spectrum, within specified frequency and spatial 

boundaries, and ensuring that entity's use of the spectrum will not be subject to harmful 

interference, is a tremendously powerful way for the government to encourage innovation and 

4 
54 

Testimony of Christopher Guttman-McCabe April 18, 2011 

investment. Without exclusive licenses - and their attendant protections - it is doubtful that 

the massive investment and tremendous innovation that has occurred in the mobile wireless 

services market would have come to pass. 6 

Licensees invest based on the certainty that they will benefit from the advances they 

implement. This certainty, in turn, is tied to a licensee's bundle of spectrum usage rights, 

including protection from interference. Companies will not invest billions of dollars in wireless 

infrastructure if they have little certainty that they can operate at a planned level of quality and 

make the modifications necessary to meet the demands of a dynamic, evolving marketplace, 

free from unnecessary regulatory impositions. 

On this point, it is noteworthy that on January 18, 2011, the President issued an Executive 

Order that recognized the burdens associated with regulatory requirements and the negative 

impact such regulations may have on innovation? Accordingly, the President directed 

Executive Agencies to take into account the cost of regulations and to adopt regulations that 

promote innovation.s Even more recently, Cass Sunstein, who oversees the Office of 

Information and Regulatory Affairs, directed the heads of Executive Departments and agencies 

to "to take account of the cumulative effects of new and existing rules and to identify 

opportunities to harmonize and streamline multiple rules."g In a related blog post, he noted 

that the "sheer accumulation of regulations can cause real harm, especially for small businesses 

and startups.,,10 

6 Thomas Hazlett and Evan leo, "The Case for liberal Spectrum licenses: A Technical and Economic perspective," 

26 Berkeley Technology Low Journal (2011), 1037-1101, available at 

http://btli.org/data/artic1es!26 2/1037 1102 Hazlett 11211l%20Web.pdf. 

7 Exec. Order No. 13563, "Improving Regulation and Regulatory Review," 76 FR 3821 (Jan. 18,2011), 

http://www.whitehouse.gov/the·press-office!2011!Ol/18!improving·regulation··and·regulatory-review·executive-

~. 

'Id. 

• See http://www.whitehouse.gov!sites!default/files!omb/assets!inforeg!cumulative-effects-guidance.pdf. 

10 See http://www.whitehouse.gov/blogI2012!03!20!smarter-regulation-reducipg-cumulative-burdens. 

5 
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Testimony of Christopher Guttman-McCabe April 18, 2011 

CTIA agrees with those points and believes that government policy should preserve and 

advance spectrum licensees' incentives for investment and innovation by continuing to make 

spectrum available pursuant to the exclusive- and flexible-use licensing framework and by 

avoiding the imposition of unnecessary regulations. 

Similarly, CTIA urges Congress to recognize that massive capital investment on the order 

undertaken by the wireless industry is extremely sensitive to changes in the tax code. Measures 

like the accelerated expensing of capital investment and acceleration of AMT credits enacted 

under President Bush and continued under President Gbama have encouraged the transition 

from 3G to 4G. Allowing this treatment to expire at the end of 2012 may discourage 

incremental investment in wireless and other communications infrastructure. Without 

continued advances in the scope and quality of network infrastructure to support new devices 

and applications, the virtuous cycle of innovation will grind to a halt. 

Additionally, Congress should adopt a permanent or at least multi-year extension ofthe 

research and development ("R&D") tax credit. like many of the other tax provisions mentioned 

above, extending the R&D tax credit will spur innovation through continued research, which 

will in turn lead to increased economic growth. The manufacturers and developers that supply 

the wireless eqUipment on which our carriers depend invest significant percentages of their 

revenue in research and development. This process is costly and long-term; it should not be 

subject to the periodic failing by Congress to extend the R&D credit. In the 1980s, when the 

wireless revolution began, the U.S. ranked first among GECD countries offering R&D tax 

incentives. Today, the size of the u.s. credit is smaller than that offered in most other GECD 

countries and the u.S. is the only country that subjects its credit to the sort of "on again, off 

again" treatment that has resulted in the credit being expired at the current time. 

last week, I had occasion to travel to Texas and visit with several of CTIA's large manufacturers, 

each of which maintains a substantial R&D presence in the Dallas area. Collectively, the 

companies I visited last week spend more than $10 billion annually on R&D. A substantial 

amount of that total is spent here in the United States, supporting thousands of good, high· 

6 
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Testimony of Christopher Guttman-McCabe April 18, 2011 

wage jobs. But if Congress continues to neglect the fact that the U.S. faces fierce global 

competition for R&D investment dollars, it does so at America's peril. The companies I visited in 

Dallas are multi-national companies that could just as easily choose to locate those R&D 

activities in a country that offers more favorable and predictable treatment of R&D 

investments. That is the exact opposite of what the wireless industry, and the American 

economy, needs. 

In sum, while I believe that the wireless future is bright, there is a great deal to be done to 

ensure that we maximize the opportunity and continue U.S. leadership in this vital industry. 

CTIA looks forward to working with you and your colleagues on these matters. 

Thank you for the opportunity to appear at today's hearing. 

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Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you very much. 

I now recognize Ms. Brown for five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF MS. MARY BROWN, DIRECTOR, 

TECHNOLOGY AND SPECTRUM POLICY, 

CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. 

Ms. BROWN. Good afternoon, Chairman Quayle and Ranking 

Member Edwards and Committee Members. Thank you for the opportunity to talk with you about the dynamic changes Cisco is seeing in the wireless economy. 

Today’s topic is the spectrum crunch. ‘‘Crunch’’ is a term intended to convey a shortage or scarcity of spectrum where demand 

exceeds supply. More poetically, crunch is the sound of your teeth 

gnashing when the Internet fails to launch from your mobile device 

or you can’t send that important email. 

Cisco as a technology vendor sees evidence of the spectrum 

crunch all around us, from our analysis of traffic data and consumer usage to the technologies our service provider customers are 

asking us to develop to the activity we observe in the spectrum 

market. 

Where is this crunch coming from? Simply put, from all of us. 

More and more powerful smartphones, tablets, laptops, and other 

mobile devices accessing rich data, such as video, are sending more 

and more information wirelessly to the Internet. Cisco’s U.S. mobile data forecast projects that the volume of data traffic on mobile 

service provider networks will increase 16 times from 2011 to 2016. 

That is just stunning. 

So, confronted with the exponential growth in mobile traffic, we 

believe that action must be taken. Additional spectrum must be 

found. Congress made a solid down payment earlier this year when 

it increased spectrum for broadband by authorizing voluntary incentive auctions in H.R. 3630, but more action is needed. Otherwise it could limit and constrain the innovation, job creation, and 

the economic growth that we all want to see. 

So what is causing mobile data demand to rise so steeply? First, 

consumers’ use of mobile data is growing, and there is no end in 

sight. In 2011, four percent of users were generating more than one 

gigabyte of mobile data per month, the equivalent of downloading 

about six TV shows, but by 2016, 74 percent of users will be in the 

gigabyte club. 

Second, the data transmitted with be video in many forms, from 

YouTube, TV shows, video calls. By 2016, over two-thirds of mobile 

traffic in the U.S. will be video. 

Third, many more people will use multiple devices. In 2011, eight 

percent of U.S. subscribers used multiple mobile devices, and by 

2016, it is 25 percent. In addition, mobile networks will also support machine-to-machine connections. So what do I mean by machine by machine? I mean, smart meters to conserve energy, sensor 

networks to make our roads and communities safer, and home 

health care monitoring to reduce health care costs and improve 

outcomes. By 2016, there will be 726 million mobile connections for 

just 348 million people in the U.S. That illustrates the power and 

the impact of machine to machine. 
58 

Fourth, mobile devices themselves are changing and driving new 

traffic demands on networks. For example, by 2013, smartphones 

will become the most dominant device type responsible for mobile 

data traffic. From 2011 to 2016, the smartphone evolves from an 

email device to a fully capable hand-held computer. In 2016, there 

will be many more things consumers do with their smartphones 

than we do today. 

Policymakers, I believe, understand these challenges and are 

taking them seriously. In addition to congressional action, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration has 

just released its report on the 1755 to 1850 megahertz band, evaluating the cost and challenges of relocating federal users in that 

band. Clearing as much of this spectrum as possible is important 

to meet consumer demand for mobile broadband and keep the U.S. 

in the forefront of technology leadership. 

The technology sector, for its part, is also innovating quickly to 

try to help our service provider customers meet consumer demand 

and tell additional spectrum can be placed in service. New chipset 

designs, base stations, and antenna technology and network management tools are a few of the offerings designed to bring more efficiency from available spectrum. Carriers are aggressively deploying 

Wi-Fi and Femto cells in an effort to offload mobile traffic to fixed 

networks where possible. AT&T and Verizon Wireless are deploying LTE or 4G networks, which are more efficient than the prior 

3G technology, and carriers continue to deploy additional cell sites 

to reuse existing spectrum. 

But even with all these efforts, we cannot expect technology 

alone to solve the spectrum crunch. So what are the next steps? I 

encourage Congress to investigate specific spectrum bands that can 

be repurposed for mobile broadband and to realize that additional 

legislative action will be necessary. 

We look forward to working with you, the Administration, and 

the commercial sector to identify spectrum opportunities, including 

in bands now used by federal agencies. Thank you, again, for the 

opportunity to appear today, and I look forward to your questions. 

[The prepared statement of Ms. Brown follows:] 
59 

Testimony of Mary Brown 

CISCO SYSTEMS, INC. 

Before the 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

U.S. House of Representatives 

Hearing on "Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless 

Economy through Innovation" 

April 18, 2012 2 p.m. 

Rayburn House Office Building - Room 2318 
60 

Brown CISCO SYSTEMS 

Summary 

The explosive growth in the wireless economy is a global phenomenon. The U.S. technology sector has 

led that mobile broadband revolution. The U.S. is where global technology companies come to develop 

mobile broadband technologies, where the mobile app industry took root, where innovation is 

happening, and where thousands of new jobs are being created. Innovation in the private sector occurs 

when there is a market for entrepreneurs and innovators to sell their inventions. Spectrum tailored for 

use by mobile broadband networks is a necessary ingredient in the creation of that market. Without the 

market opportunity presented by additional radio spectrum for broadband, our country's technology 

leadership could stagnate and huge economic and social benefits may not be fully realized. 

Cisco's US mobile data forecast projects that mobile data traffic will increase 16 times from 2011 to 

2016 for a compound annual growth rate of 74 percent. If those numbers are too large to comprehend, 

then think of it this way -- the increment of growth in mobile data traffic from 2012 to 2013 will be twice 

as large as all the traffic that was carried on US mobile networks in 2011. Consumers will use more data, 

transmit and consume much more video of all types, operate more devices per capita, and utilize much 

more powerful devices than available today. 

Even taking into account all types of technology efficiencies, from the introduction of LTE networks, to 

adding additional cell sites, to the creation of small cells to offload traffiC more quickly to wired 

networks, antenna technologies, and improved network management technologies, it will not be 

enough. More spectrum is needed, and needed soon. Congress, the FCC, and the NTIA are already at 

work to find more spectrum, but much more work remains to be done. It's important that the Congress 

understand the dynamic growth occurring in this industry, and why public policy is critical to that 

growth. This Committee provides an excellent platform for making these connections more obvious to 

all. 

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TA"';n,nn,vof Brown CISCO SYSTEMS 

Testimony 

Good afternoon, Chairman Quayle and Ranking Member Edwards, Thank you for the opportunity to talk 

with you about the dynamic changes Cisco is seeing in the wireless economy, 

Cisco is a San Jose based manufacturer of broadband networking equipment and services used by 

service providers, enterprises and consumers worldwide, Among other things, we produce advanced 

networking technologies used by mobile operators and are the largest manufacturer of Wi-Fi devices in 

the world, Cisco spends $5,8 billion per year on research and development, which is 13 percent of our 

revenue, Cisco ranks eighth among U,S, companies in number of U,S, patents issued in 2011, with total 

of 8,600 US patents, Globally, Cisco earns $43 billion in revenue, employs 63,000 people, and has 

relationships with 52,000 partner companies who implement Cisco technologies in their customer 

networks, From this description, you can see that Cisco's success is tied to innovation, 

The explosive growth in the wireless economy is a global phenomenon, The US, technology sector has 

led that mobile broadband revolution, The US, is where global technology companies come to develop 

mobile broadband technologies, This is where the mobile app industry took root, This is where 

innovation is happening, It's creating thousands of new jobs fueled by access to spectrum, As this 

committee knows better than most, innovation in the private sector occurs when there is a market for 

entrepreneurs and innovators to sell their inventions, Spectrum tailored for use by mobile broadband 

networks is a necessary ingredient in the creation of that market Without the market opportunity 

presented by additional radio spectrum for broadband, our country's teChnology leadership could 

stagnate and huge economic and social benefits may not be fully realized; without radio spectrum, the 

economic activity and investment in wireless broadband will gravitate to other regions of the world that 

are making spectrum available, such as the European Union and the AsiaPac rim, 

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Understanding this story - and the role of a critical government·controlled input such as spectrum to 

the development of a vibrant wireless economy - is important. This hearing, and other activities 

sponsored by this Committee, are necessary in order to educate Congress about the vital role policy' 

makers play in fostering not just research and development or innovation, but jobs and global 

technology leadership. 

Today's topic is the spectrum crunch. "Crunch" is a term intended to convey a shortage or scarcity of 

spectrum where demand exceeds supply. More poetically, "crunch" could also be the sound of your 

teeth gnashing when a call drops, your connection fails, the Internet fails to launch from your mobile 

device, or you can't send that important email. Cisco, as a technology vendor, sees evidence of the 

spectrum crunch all around us - from our analysis of traffic data and consumer usage, to the 

technologies our service provider customers are asking us to develop, to the activity we observe in the 

spectrum market. 

This testimony discusses several topics related to the spectrum crunch: (1) Cisco's projections of mobile 

data traffic growth through 2016 demonstrating that we are very early in the transition to mobile 

broadband; (2) how consumers will experience the crunch; (3) the need for more spectrum; and (4) 

progress toward finding more spectrum. If more spectrum is not put into the hands of commercial 

operators quickly, then dropped calls, slower downloads, failed applications and more, will be a very 

common experience for consumers. According to the FCC, the first wave of these impacts could come as 

early as next year. 

Because Cisco has to anticipate the networking needs of our service provider customers, including our 

wireless customers, Cisco invests heavily in understanding current traffic trends and projecting those 

trends forward. A few years ago, we decided to formalize this activity in the form of a publicly released 

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report we call the "Visual Networking Index" which is available to you and your staffs at 

www.cisco.com/go/vni 

Each February, we have been publishing a "Global Mobile VNI" tracking mobile broadband traffic 

worldwide and in individual countries such as the US. The results indicate that we are at an important 

pivot point in the wireless economy - we are early in the transition from mobile technology that 

supported voice and email to new broadband technologies that provide the full Internet experience 

from the palm of your hand. And as with any new technology, consumer usage is growing at an 

astonishing rate. 

Our US mobile data forecast projects that the volume of data traffic on mobile service provider 

networks will increase 16 times from 2011 to 2016. That statistic represents a compound annual growth 

rate of 74 percent. That's just a stunning growth rate. Here are several ways to try to grasp the 

significance of this growth. 

U.S. mobile data traffic will grow at a rate that is four times faster than U.S. fixed IP traffic from 

2011 to 2016. 

• The increment of growth in mobile data traffic from 2012 to 2013 will be twice as large as all the 

traffic that was carried on US mobile networks in 201l. 

• By 2015, the pace of growth has gathered even more steam - just the increment of traffic 

growth between 2015 and 2016 is projected to be five times all of the traffic carried on US 

mobile networks in 201l. 

• By 2016, mobile data traffic will be equivalent to four times the volume of the entire U.S. 

Internet in 2005. 

What is causing mobile data demand to rise so steeply? Cisco has identified four big trends. 

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First, consumers are receiving, and transmitting, more mobile data. In 2011, 4 percent of users were 

generating more than one gigabyte of mobile data per month. By 2016, 74 percent of users will be 

generating that much data each month. The average user in 2011 used 324 megabits of data a month. 

Roughly speaking, that's the equivalent of downloading 160 songs or 32 apps or 2 videos. In 2016, the 

average user will be consuming 4.2 gigabits a month or roughly 25 videos. 

Second, the data that those consumers are going to be consuming will mainly consist of video in many 

forms - from YouTube, to video embedded in advertisements, to long form programming, and video 

"calls" which will become more frequent than they are today. Mobile video traffic will nearly double 

every year between 2011 and 2016, and by 2016, over two thirds (68%) of mobile traffic in the US will 

be video. 

Third, more consumers are going to mimic the behavior of many of you on this committee, by owning 

and using more than one mobile device per person. In 2011, 8% of US subscribers used multiple mobile 

devices. By 2016, that number advances to 25% of subscribers. In addition, to multiple devices per 

person, mobile broadband will also support machine to machine connections - connecting not just 

people, but things. These machine to machine connections will be deployed into a wide variety of 

sectors - from energy supporting smart home energy meters as well as transmission and distribution 

networks, public safety supporting sensor networks and mobile video imaging, to healthcare such as 

home healthcare services. When we look at the total number of mobile connections that will be 

supported by operator networks, by 2016 there will be 726 million mobile connections for 348 million 

people in the US. 

Fourth, the mobile devices themselves are changing, and driving new traffic demands on networks. let 

me caution you that the changes in this part of our analysis remain highly dynamic and difficult to 

predict. Two years ago, Cisco did not even consider tablets to be a device category, and yet today these 

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Brown CISCO SYSTEMS 

devices are too popular to be ignored. By 2016, the amount of annual U.S. mobile data traffic generated 

by tablets (145 petabytes) will be nearly one and a halftimes more than all U.s. mobile data traffic 

generated in 2011 (100 petabytes). Smartphones are having a huge impact as well, and by 2013 will 

become the most dominant device type responsible for mobile data traffic. Dominance of the 

smartphone as a device category continues to multiply through 2016, according to our projections. 

Moreover, all of these devices, regardless of category, become more powerful, placing new demands on 

networks. The average smart phone today uses about 200 megabits of traffic per month. By 2016, the 

device manufacturers will be selling smartphones that we project will generate 4,520 megabits per 

month. They will be smarter, faster, more fun, and there will be many more things that consumers do 

with their smartphones than we do today. 

How good are these data points? As good as they were on the day in February when we released our 

most recent study. What Cisco has produced is a snapshot of a highly dynamic, fast growing market. 

That's why each year we update our data and learn new things. Our study relies on actual traffic data 

measurements from carrier networks, analyst reports and our own modeling. Since we began releasing 

the report, we have found that our projections of the current year have been accurate and slightly 

conservative - we underestimate what actually happened by a few percentage points. 

With numbers as breathtaking as the ones Cisco is projecting, one logical question is are we going to 

run out of spectrum? And what does that look like to the consumer? The answer is that the spectrum 

crunch will evidence itself differently by carrier (depending upon the spectrum licensed to that carrier 

and the technologies the carrier is using) and by geography. We can expect that in places like New York 

and San Francisco, where millions of consumers are competing for radio spectrum each time they use 

their devices, that once their carrier has released all available spectrum into that market, and the 

spectrum in use becomes congested, then consumers will experience the spectrum crunch in a broad 

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way. This is already happening in a few major cities during rush hours for some carriers. Quality of 

service suffers - e,g" dropped calls and connections, inability to access the Internet, failure of a favorite 

app to load, and inability to send email. You probably have already had an experience like thisespecially in places where there are many users trying to connect to the network simultaneously like at 

a ballgame or in a large traffic jam. 

The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) staff, using Cisco's VNI data, projected in the fall of 2010 

that the US needed to find 275 MHz of radio spectrum for broadband in five years to keep pace with the 

rising traffic demand. In their earlier-released National Broadband Report, the FCC estimated they 

would need 500 MHz of spectrum for broadband in 10 years (2020). The Administration embraced the 

500 MHz goal in a Presidential Memorandum in 2010, directing the National Telecommunications and 

Information Administration to assist the FCC in finding 500 MHz of spectrum, including by identifying 

federal spectrum uses that could be moved to make way for commercial mobile use. 

Progress is being made toward finding additional spectrum. Congress led the way with adoption of HR 

3630 earlier this year, creating for the first time voluntary incentive auction authority that will allow the 

FCC to repurpose part of the television broadcast spectrum for mobile broadband. The bill also 

extended the FCC's regular auction authority and made important improvements to the Commercial 

Spectrum Enhancement Act governing the transition of federal spectrum to commercial use. Congress 

now needs to ensure that the FCC follows through on its grant of auction authority by conducting the 

voluntary incentive auction for broadcast spectrum as soon as possible. It will take several years for the 

FCC to complete its work. How much spectrum is actually cleared through this effort is unknown, but we 

do know that the best case scenario would clear 120 MHz, thus leaving us significantly short of the 

needed 500 MHz identified by the FCC and the Administration. 

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The NTIA is also continuing its efforts to identify federal spectrum that can be repurposed to commercial 

use. NTIA just released its report on the 1755-1850 MHz band, evaluating the cost and challenges of 

relocating federal uses of that band to other bands. This 95 MHz of spectrum is of great interest because 

globally, the band is in use or in transition to mobile broadband. That's important for the technology 

sector because it means there is a global technology market opportunity. The NTIA report has signaled 

that relocating federal users will be difficult and expensive, and will take years. From the vantage point 

of future benefits to the economy, to jobs, and to consumers, we should not shy away from these 

difficult problems. Clearing as much of this spectrum as possible is an important way to meet consumer 

demand for mobile broadband and to keep the US at the forefront of technology leadership. We are 

hopeful that progress can continue to be made on transitioning this band. 

In addition, the technology sector, for its part, is hard at work to try to help our service provider 

customers meet consumer demand until additional spectrum can be placed in service. Many technology 

companies are creating offerings to forestall congestion, and the service provider industry has been 

quick to implement them. One of the key innovations that are helping to address the spectrum crunch 

is offloading data from mobile networks onto Wi-Fi networks or other small cell technologies such as 

Femto cells. let's look at an example using Wi-Fi. When a smartphone or tablet switches to a Wi-Fi 

network for data transmission, the spectrum used is not mobile spectrum, but entirely different radio 

spectrum known as unlicensed spectrum. When the mobile device you hold in your hand or on your lap 

communicates to a Wi-Fi router, data is transmitted back to the service provider using wired networks, 

not mobile wireless ones. Cisco estimates that today, almost half the data traffic generated at the edge 

of alliP networks is offloaded to Wi-Fi on a global basis. That offloading number will rise over time, but 

it's important to recognize - Wi-Fi cannot replace mobile spectrum. Wi-Fi is good for connecting your 

device when you are at home, in the office, at a public park, or a coffee shop, but it is not a useful 

technology when you are in a cab heading to the airport at 60 miles an hour. 

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of Brown CISCO SYSTEMS 

Across the technology industry, there is a broad range of innovations that are rolling out to help carriers 

cope with a shortage of spectrum. New chipset designs, new base stations and antenna technology, and 

new network management tools are a few of the offerings designed to wring more efficiency from 

available spectrum. This is being driven by customer demand - by service providers not just here in the 

US, but globally, who are experiencing the same problems. The push to deploy Long Term Evolution 

(LTE) networks (known as "4G") is itself evidence of this trend, as LTE networks are much more efficient 

in carrying data traffic than prior network technologies. But despite increased efficiencies, the LTE 

networks currently under construction by AT&T and Verizon Wireless will not be enough by themselves 

to address rising demand. The carriers have said so, and so did the FCC in its fall 2010 study. Nor will 

the creation of additional cell sites be sufficient, as the FCC found in its study. 

The Federal government is helping too. As part of HR 3630, Congress has directed the NTIA to consider 

opening more 5 GHz spectrum for unlicensed devices on a shared basis with federal systems. This is 

important because 5 GHz is the growth band for Wi-Fi technology. More access to shared spectrum here 

by Wi-Fi devices will help address the spectrum crunch since Wi-Fi is one of the technologies that 

enables mobile traffic to be offloaded onto fixed Wi-Fi connections. Industry is working very hard to 

provide technical inputs into NTIA's first report, which is due back to this Congress in October. But this 

is not a silver bullet answer to the spectrum crunch problem either. 

Will our technology improvement efforts be enough? Will the tech sector be able to generate 

efficiencies so great that additional spectrum is not required? No. Additional spectrum is needed. The 

growth in demand is simply too large and too sustained. Spectrum must be part of the answer, along 

with technology improvements. Network infrastructure companies like ours and the carriers 

themselves have repeatedly argued before Congress and the FCC that additional spectrum must be 

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found because there is no technology or combination of technology solutions that is likely to be 

available to manage rising traffic demand using spectrum now available or in the pipeline. 

Our nation is the leader in mobile broadband. The wireless revolution spurs the construction of new 

high speed wireless networks. It drives the manufacturing of chips, routers, network equipment, and 

mobile devices such as smartphones, laptops, and tablets. It creates business and consumer software, 

the development of app stores, and substantial growth in electronic commerce. 

Mobility has been an important driver of jobs and economic growth, and it has the potential to generate 

hundreds of thousands more jobs if the federal government acts promptly to ensure that additional 

spectrum is made available to fuel future mobile broadband growth. It's important that the Congress 

understand the dynamic growth occurring in this industry, and why public policy is critical to that 

growth. This Committee provides an excellent platform for making these connections more obvious to 

all. 

Thank you again for the opportunity to appear today. I look forward to your questions. 

11 
70 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you very much. 

I now recognize Dr. Subramanian for five minutes. 

STATEMENT OF DR. RANGAM SUBRAMANIAN, 

CHIEF WIRELESS AND TECHNOLOGY STRATEGIST, 

IDAHO NATIONAL LABORATORY 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. Chairman Quayle, Ranking Member Edwards—— 

Chairman QUAYLE. Is your mic on? 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. Sorry. Let us try again. Chairman Quayle, 

Ranking Member Edwards, and Members of the Subcommittee, I 

want to thank you for the opportunity to testify before the House 

Science, Space, and Technology Subcommittee on Technology and 

Innovation. 

I realize the importance of this topic, ‘‘Avoiding the Spectrum 

Crunch: Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation.’’ I understand there is so much at stake for the future of the national 

economy and national security of this great Nation based on how 

we can handle this spectrum crunch today. 

My name is Dr. Rangam Subramanian. I am the Chief Wireless 

Strategist at the Idaho National Laboratory. 

In the interest of time I will discuss the key points in my written 

testimony. 

As everyone said here, wireless spectrum is a limited natural resource just like gasoline. There is exceptionally high demand on 

this low supply, and there is little unallocated spectrum available 

for exclusive allocations. 

However, wireless communication is a critical common technology track for all the key economic sectors in the future. It influences national security, emergency and first responder communications, smart grid energy infrastructure, electric vehicles and transportation systems, advanced manufacturing systems, medical devices, and so on. 

So the demand for additional spectrum is not just restricted to 

the United States. Globally the European Union, Singapore, and 

China are all experiencing same issues, but they are also aggressively seeking innovative solutions and have established research 

testbeds that can be used by many people and innovations and patenting is rapidly growing there, which means is the United States 

behind in initiating this effort in a larger way. Perhaps is this an 

opportunistic moment for gaining global spectrum leadership and 

impacting the global economy? 

Now, there are three key challenges to this solving the spectrum 

crisis and gaining global leadership in this country. Number one, 

there is a need for a national approach. It is important for the different national spectrum stakeholders to appreciate the crunch is 

for real and sharing primarily or repurposing in specific cases, especially with an emphasis on securing national security. 

It is extremely important, both on the government side and on 

the industry side, and everyone has to work with the national 

agencies to identify spectrum bands for initiating research and experimentation in support of repurposing or sharing. Collaboration 
71 

is needed to build trustable, secure spectrum sharing technologies—including technologies for high-frequency operations. 

The government has initiated some important efforts. The NTIA 

and FCC have been trying to work, identify suitable banks for 

spectrum repurposing or sharing and are also coordinating with 

several agencies. The recent Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012, H.R. 3630, has also identified specific bands for 

sharing and repurposing. 

There are critical national efforts. For example, by the National 

Wireless Spectrum R&D Senior Group facilitating collaboration 

across the government agencies to develop an inventory of the research initiatives in the Nation, as well as the testing facilities. 

However, there is a long way to go in terms of realizing all the 

spectrum needed for the industry. 

Challenge two, a strategy for accelerated spectrum-sharing technology development. Technology development is pretty much in infancy stage right now. There are research reports going around, 

but that is not in a deployable form. Stakeholders both from the 

government side and the industry need trust and security in spectrum sharing. Secure technologies, standardization, experimentation, and business models are extremely critical if sharing is to 

become successful. 

The wireless carriers, equipment manufacturers, devices, and application vendors are not showing very keen interest in developing 

sharing technologies because it is not showing immediate return on 

investment. 

Now, entrepreneurs have—the DOD labs have a limited portfolio 

of research other national laboratories have a lack of funding,. The 

academic institutions have a lot of research going on but more on 

a theoretical basis. They do not have the necessary funding; for example, the NSF EARS program is lacking funding, and they do not 

have realistic national testbeds where they can go and really test 

it. 

So this is a widespread problem across different research segments in developing the technologies right now. 

Also, research on wireless cybersecurity is extremely critical. We 

have done this mistake with wireless security, and we cannot afford to do this going forward. 

Now, secondly, standardization of the spectrum-sharing technology is in its infancy. There are limited efforts going on, one with 

the lack of technology, second with the understanding of the technology that experimentation and data sets are really important before you can standardize. So—that is a major problem. There are 

efforts by the International Telecommunications Union as well as 

by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, IEEE. In 

fact, I was at a standards meeting yesterday talking on this topic. 

So we need this standardization effort to keep going on. It is extremely critical. 

And one of the major impediments to spectrum-sharing technology innovation is the identification and creation of realistic outdoor testbeds where experimentation can be done. This is very 

clearly stated by the industry and academia during the second national workshop conducted by the Wireless Spectrum R&D Senior 

Group in January 2012, which I also happen to co-chair. 
72 

There are multiple Department of Defense wireless testing 

ranges that are primarily focused on operational testing and classification requirements. There are also smaller, non-DOD ranges, 

which are limited in their ability to enable real-world experimentation. And there are others in academia that are basically performing experimentation in unlicensed spectral bands using Wi-Fi, 

Bluetooth, and Zigby, which is not real life. We are talking about 

so many different bands and so many different kinds of applications which need to share the spectrum. 

Now, since I was specifically asked by the Subcommittee to provide some details on the Idaho National Lab, I would like to provide a quick brief. Idaho National Lab has an 890-mile wireless 

range facility for supporting this national effort. In April 2011, 

after visiting the INL wireless experimentation facility, the National Wireless Spectrum R&D Senior Steering Group commented 

that, ‘‘The Idaho National Laboratory represents a unique opportunity for unfettered development and testing of advanced spectrum-using technologies in that Nation.’’ 

Chairman QUAYLE. Doctor, if you could wrap it up in 30 seconds, 

that would be great. Thank you. 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. I will. Thank you. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you. 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. I particularly note the existence of the wireless range of—and a strong research team working on related research, executing our nationally important experimentation. INL is 

making research investments on spectrum-related research, how a 

comprehensive national plan will help laboratories like INL. 

Now, the third challenge, funding and collaboration support. The 

Nation is faced with the spectrum crunch, yet there is currently insufficient funding to accelerate development as well as experimentation. Without technologies to validate spectrum sharing trust and 

security, it is not possible to build the required government-industry support for collaboration. 

The recently enacted H.R. 3630 bill has recommended specific 

spectral bands, but it also needs to be augmented with sufficient 

funding or proper funding to conduct research and experimentation. 

In summary, the responsiveness of the Nation to the spectrum 

crunch challenge will have a significant bearing on economy growth 

and national security. The government has taken some important 

steps, but there is a long way to go in terms of a comprehensive 

national approach to spectrum sharing, accelerated technology development, and testing. 

Thank you for the opportunity. 

[The prepared statement of Mr. Subramanian follows:] 
73 

Testimony of 

Dr. Rangam Subramanian 

Chief Wireless and Technology Strategist, 

Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho 

Before the 

House Committee on Science, Space and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

On 

"A VOIDING THE SPECTRUM CRUNCH: GROWING 

THE WIRELESS ECONOMY THROUGH 

INNOV ATION" 

April 18, 2012 
74 

Introduction 

Chaimlan Quayle, Ranking Member Edwards, and members of the subcommittee, I want to 

thank you for the opportunity to testify before the House Science, Space, and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation. I realize the importance of this topic: "Avoiding 

the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation," and there is much at 

stake for the future national security and the economy, based on how the spectrum crisis is 

handled today. 

My name is Dr. Rangam Subramanian. I am the Chief Wireless Strategist at the Idaho National 

Laboratory (lNL), Idaho Falls, Idaho. 

In my testimony today, I will address the following: 

• Current status of the wireless spectrum situation in our nation 

• Impact oflimited wireless spectrum on America's global competitiveness 

• The three major ehallenges to solving the wireless spectrum problem 

• My role and opinions on the activities of the national Wireless Spectrum R&D (WSRD), 

Senior Steering Group (SSG) that was initiated by the White House, Office of the Science 

and Technology Policy (OSTP) 

• The spectrum sharing research, experimentation, and demonstration capabilities at the INL 

supporting wireless innovation in the nation. 

Current Status and Impact on Competitiveness: 

Wireless spectrum is a limited natural resource. There is only so much spectrum available and 

yet the demand continues to grow. In fact, wireless communications is a critical common 

technology imperative that will greatly influence the growth of all key economic sectors, as well 

as our national security. Wireless spectrulu crunch will impact the national defense systems, 

emergency and first responder communications, Smartgrid energy infrastructure, electric 

vehicles and intelligent transportation systems, advanced manufacturing systems, financial 

industry, medical devices, consumer electronic devices, and others. It is the increased use of the 

wireless spectrum for all these economic and defense sectors that is already causing "spectrum 

crunch"; it is starting to be felt by many Americans across the nation. 

Statistics reflect the exponential growth of mobile devices and the resulting explosion in data 

traffic, or wireless spectrum usage. One of these statistics suggests that there will be 50 billion 

mobile connections globally by 2020, with the mobile multimedia data usage increasing by 60% 

per year. By 2016, the demand for commercial wireless spectrum usage in the United States is 

expected to see a 10-fold growth. To keep up with consumer demand, wireless industry in the 

United States has requested 800 MHz of additional spectrum. However, the Federal 

Communications Commission (FCC) in its National Broadband Plan, released in March 2010, 
75 

stated that there is little unalloeated spectrum available for new exclusive allocations. Hence, one 

or a combination of the following is required: sharing spectrum, possibly repurposing spectrum 

usage to different bands enabled by efficient usage technologies, and research on high-frequency 

usage. The Spectrum crunch situation has forced the national priority call for spectrum 

technology innovation and experimentation. 

The demand for additional spectrum is not restricted to the United States. Globally, the European 

Union, Singapore, and China are experiencing the same limitations; however, they are already 

aggressively seeking innovative solutions and developing technological patents that will solve 

their spectrum availability challenge and, importantly, further their market share in related 

industries. With appropriate government support through policies, a national technology 

development strategy, and funding, the United States can establish global leadership in this 

crucial area. This support will empower technical achievements, grow the economy, develop job 

opportunities and increase assurance of national wireless communications security. 

NITRD WSRD SSG Support for Technology Development and 

Experimentation 

In June 2010, the Presidential Memorandum: Unleashing the Wireless Broadband Revolution, 

was issued. This enabled the establishment of the National Information Technology R&D 

(NITRD) Wireless Spectrum Research and Development (WSRD) Senior Steering Group (SSG), 

in November 2010. The WSRD group represents 16 agencies and is chartered to assist the 

Secretary of Commerce in creating and implementing the plan to facilitate the research, 

development, experimentation, and testing required yielding innovative spectrum-sharing 

teehnologies. I am an active member of this group. 

I believe the Wireless Speetrum R&D national steering group has effeetively collaborated with 

the government agencies to develop an inventory of the research initiatives on spectrum sharing 

technologies being conducted by the government. The steering group also created an inventory 

of national test beds that can support technology innovation. Two workshops co-chaired by 

colleagues from the National Telecommunications and Infonnation Administration (NTIA), 

National Science Foundation (NSF), Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), 

DOJ (Department of Justice), and I were conducted with technical expelts and stakeholders from 

industry, academia, and government. These workshops were conducted to identify key gaps 

within the national R&D portfolio on wireless spectrum sharing innovation, to understand the 

nation's experimentation needs in these areas, and to identify research capabilities in industry 

and academia. I believe work of the SSG is critical to the nation and will continue to advance 

collaboration among the key government and industry stakeholders for advancing spectrum 

sharing innovation. 
76 

Key Challenges to Solving Spectrum Crunch 

There are three key challenges to solving the spectrum crunch: 

L Need for a National Approach 

2. Strategy and Technology Development 

3. Funding and Collaboration Support. 

A National Approach for Spectrum Sharing 

One approach to spectrum sharing is to allow sharing based on real-world testing and evaluation 

in full-scale outdoor test beds-while meeting proper standards and protocols-to determine 

where sharing may feasibly occur in a secure and reliable manner without disrupting current 

applieations. Through such an approaeh, immediate attention could be given to those frequency 

bands that are in high demand and resolve the inherent challenges of and trust and security 

needed for different sharing models, such as government to government, government to industry, 

or industry to industry. Additionally, the requisite business models could be created to encourage 

further growth of the spectrum sharing approach. 

Repurposing, on the other hand, also involves new hardware, software development and 

experimentation. But, because repurposing might only be a short-tenn solution, the risks of 

having to share spectrum in the long run remain. As detailed in the 1755-1850 MHz spectral 

band study released by the NTIA on March 27, 2012, it is expected to cost various agencies 

$18.5 billion to repurpose government applications just for this 95 MHz band. Hence, besides 

research innovation and experimentation to exploit higher spectral frequencies for wider 

deployments, sharing spectrum wherever possible offers the best long-term path below the 4 

GHz of cornmonly usable frequency spectrum. 

Some of the most important governmental efforts in support of the speetrum sharing or spectrum 

repurposing opportunities can be summarized as follows: 

• The NTIA and the FCC have been working for a few years to identify the most suitable 

bands for spectrum repurposing or sharing and repursposing, coordinating their studies with 

several agencies 

• The recent Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 20 12, HR3630, has also 

identified specific bands for sharing and repurposing, such as the 1675-1710 MHz, 1755-

1770 MHz, 2025-2110 MHz, and the TV White Space. HR3630 has also requested studying 

very high frequencies for experimentation and potential deployment. 
77 

Strategy and Technology Development 

Some of the drivers for technology development and a framework for R&D, standardization, and 

realistic experimentation are summarized below. 

The wireless carriers, equipment manufacturers, devices, and applications developers are 

financially and competitively driven to show return on investment. This reality has left the 

cellular industry scrambling to find interim solutions, including offioading mobile data traffic 

using WiFi-like local area networking techniques to landline infrastructure where possible. As 

announced recently by the chief executive officer of one the leading carriers, consumers are 

being forced to pay more for less, as evidenced with the removal of unlimited data plans for their 

mobile consumers. 

Meanwhile, the equipment manufacturers are focused on supporting the deployment of the fourth 

generation, Long Term Evolution (LTE) technology by the leading national carriers and are not 

ready to invest in spectrum sharing R&D. Regarding academia, several institutions in the nation 

are working on various theoretical aspects of spectrum sharing research, modeling and 

simulation, and conducting evaluations in indoor laboratories. Some of the national laboratories 

are focusing on wireless technologies as they relate to sensors and other specific application 

areas. INL is primarily supporting DOD applications, spectrum sharing R&D, and testing to a 

limited extent, due to funding constraints. Research on wireless cyber security is a critical aspect 

that needs attention from the beginning. In the landline networks, cyber security issues were 

researched and understood long after large-scale deployment. Today the wireless security issues 

are not well understood. It is critical that thcre is both industry and academia focus on wireless 

spectrum sharing security research to better characterize the challenges, as well as to enable 

innovation and experimentation. 

Another key component of a technology strategy is standards development. Standardization of 

technologies is in its infancy. In the telecommunications industry, it takes about 8-10 years for 

large-scale technology development, and that is after standards are established. For spectrum 

sharing technologies standardization, there are limited global efforts, including those being led 

by the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) and by the Institute of Electrical and 

Electronics Engineers (IEEE). National agencies are actively working on adopting broadband for 

customized applications, such as for public safety, the power grid, transportation systems, etc. 

These new applications and the associated unknown risks warrant realistic experimental testing 

and evaluation to standards-based protocols. 

Experimentation in realistic outdoor test beds helps build credibility for all stakeholders and rulemaking agencies. This was clearly stated by industry and academia during the second national 

workshop conducted by the national Wireless Spectrum R&D steering group in January 2012. 

There are multiple Department of Defense wireless testing ranges that are focused on operational 

testing and classification requirements. There are also smaller ranges, which while they have 
78 

some utility, are limited in their ability to enable real-world test environments-some are close 

to the city and others, typically in academic institutions, are limited to indoor WiFi test facilities. 

What is missing is a facility that is isolated from urban and military congestion and provides 

users with a low radio frequency noise environment for conducting experiments on a range of 

equipment and dcviccs in various spectral bands. INL provides such a facility as described latcr 

in this testimony. 

Funding and Collaboration Support 

The nation is faced with the spectrum crisis, yet there is currently insufficient funding to 

accelerate innovation and experimentation. Without technologies to validate spectrum sharing 

trust and security, it is not possible to build the required government-industry support for 

collaboration. 

The recently enacted HR3630 represents progress by recommending spectrum sharing and 

repurposing study and analysis on specific spectral bands by the NTIA and the FCC. It is critical 

that appropriate funding be made available to include research and, full-scale test and evaluation 

based on applicablc standards and protocols to make spectrum sharing a rcality. Also, in this 

regard, designation of key facilities, such as national test beds or National User facilities, is much 

nceded. 

Spectrum Sharing R&D and Full scale Testing at Idaho National Laboratory 

INL has established a research portfolio on multiple areas of spectrum sharing innovation such as 

dynamic spectrum access and white space sharing platfonns, and wireless R&D related to 

SCADA devices and smart grid. Located on an 890-square-mile site in an isolated location, INL 

provides a very low noise environment for wireless R&D, Demonstration, and Deployment. The 

Laboratory has 2G (Second Generation)l3G (Third Generation) and WiMAX (Worldwide 

lnteropcrability for Microwavc Acccss) carricr gradc cquipment, along with 60 miles offibcr 

optic links, 200 miles of roads, microwave, and satellite communications facilities. INL is an 

NTIA 7.11 licensed experimental station and is working with the FCC for commercial 

experimentation license. After visiting the INL wireless experimentation facility, the national 

Wireless Spectrum R&D Senior Steering Group commended that "The Idaho National 

Laboratory represents a unique opportunity for unfettered development and testing of advanced 

spectrum-using technologies." INL is in a unique position to provide the bridge between the 

government, industry, and academia, and to accelerate and improve the quality of research and 

experimentation, and support the national standards, policy, and rule making organizations. 
79 

Summary: 

The responsiveness of the nation to this spectrum crunch challenge will have a significant 

bearing on economic growth and national security. The government has taken some important 

steps to enable resolving the spectrum crunch issues, including the following: 

• The FCC and NTlA are endeavoring to identify bands of spectrum for research purposes 

• HR3630 ruling identifies specific wireless spectrum bands to share 

• White House OSTP launching the Wireless Spectrum R&D Senior Steering Group to 

facilitate research, experimentation, and collaboration in the nation. 

However, a comprehensive national approach towards spectrum sharing, accelerated technology 

development, establishment of national testbed facilities and appropriate funding support are 

needed. This will ensure developing solutions to solve the spectrum crunch issues, ensure future 

growth of the key economic sectors are not impeded by the lack of spectrum and help establish 

global leadership on spectrum sharing innovation. 

INL, with its strong capabilities in wireless R&D and its full scale wireless test bed, stands 

ready to support this national initiative on spectrum sharing. 

Thank you for the opportunity to testify. 
80 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you very much, and I want to thank 

all of our witnesses for their testimony. 

Reminding Members that Committee rules limit questioning to 

five minutes. 

The Chair will at this point open the round of questioning, and 

I recognize myself for five minutes. 

Mr. Guttman-McCabe, in your testimony, you discuss how regulatory policies have a substantial impact on the ability for CTIA 

members to invest in new facilities and development of new technologies. Can you give us a sense of how these policies affect business decisions in the wireless industry, and also if you could, could 

you share specific examples of regulatory policies that could be particularly harmful to your industry’s research and development? 

Mr. GUTTMAN-MCCABE. Certainly, and thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

You know, the way we look at regulatory reform and regulatory 

issues is to sort of take a step back and take a 25,000-foot approach 

and say, you know, regulatory bodies should apply the physician’s 

motto of first do no harm. There has been a lot of focus in the last 

couple of years about removing outdated or no-longer-applied regulations, and while that is beneficial, if you overlay then, you know, 

a half dozen new regulations and you take away regulations that 

weren’t being in any way implemented or enforced, they are still 

is a net negative. And, you know, we represent carriers large and 

small, and when you look at, particularly from some of our smaller 

carriers’ perspectives, when they have a dollar from a cap X budget, and it has to go towards implementing an FCC regulation or on 

the other hand it can go to moving towards LTE or upgrading their 

networks, you know, they have a finite budget. I mean, all of our 

members have finite budgets. 

So when we look at regulations, we look at the cumulative impact of all of them, and there was an interesting memorandum that 

just came out from Cass Sunstein that actually said exactly that, 

that said you can’t, while a regulation on its face may look logical, 

when you look at the cumulative impact of all of the regulations, 

that new regulation may, in and of itself, may not be logical. 

And that is part of what we hope sort of Congress provides—a 

little oversight to the regulatory bodies is—is it is not just each individual regulation that at times may seem logical. It is the cumulative impact when you have finite capital resources. I think that 

is key. 

And then from our perspective another one is just providing the 

environment for research and development investments, extending 

the R&D tax credit. It is a constant fight each year to try to extend 

it. We used to be number one in the world. We are 27th now. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Okay. 

Mr. GUTTMAN-MCCABE. So that is an area where there could be 

great help. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Okay. Thank you very much, and Ms. Brown, 

you state that without the market opportunity presented by additional radio spectrum for broadband, our country’s technological 

leadership is going to really stagnate, and we could have huge economic and social benefits not fully realized. 

How are the other regions dealing with this? How is the EEU 

and the Asia Pacific RIM, making spectrum available? 
81 

Ms. BROWN. Well, they had, in Europe, for example, they had the 

advantage of not having allocated spectrum, large swap of spectrum at 2.5 and have recently opened that more than 100 megahertz of spectrum, which given the timing by which they have released it is going to become immediately available for advanced mobile broadband technologies. 

And similarly, there are similar sorts of actions in Asia Pact. 

Now, the reason I made that statement in my testimony is that because we have continually had radio spectrum in our pipeline for 

advancing technologies here in the U.S. This has become the locust. 

This country has become the place where these technologies are developed. Even global companies that are headquartered in Europe 

or elsewhere, they come here to do the development because this 

has been the center of mobile broadband and mobile technologies. 

If we no longer have those market opportunities, our carriers are 

not able to advance, there are now plenty of spectrum opportunities 

in Europe and Asia Pact, and these development centers could migrate over time outside of the U.S., which would be a shame. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Thank you, and with Cisco’s Virtual Networking Index, the projects that the volume—projects that the volume of traffic on mobile service provider networks will increase 16 

times—— 

Ms. BROWN. Uh-huh. 

Chairman QUAYLE [continuing]. From now until 2016. How have 

Cisco and other technology companies increased deficiencies, improved technologies, and addressed rising demand through innovative research and development? 

Ms. BROWN. So let me speak to Cisco and the tech sector generally. Through every layer and every corner of service provider 

networks, there are new technologies being deployed to try to address this right now. So from Cisco’s perspective, network management technologies that enable to carriers to better balance their 

traffic loads so that they can spread the traffic out among cell sites. 

Cisco has also been at the forefront of Wi-Fi and Femto cell offloading that many of the carriers are aggressively moving to try to 

get the traffic off the mobile spectrum and onto unlicensed spectrum. 

But you can go on and on. The chips that manufacturers are producing, more efficient chip sets, the base station and antenna people are producing ever-more-efficient equipment. LTE itself is an 

example of a much more efficient technology than the 3G technologies that preceded it. 

So it is going on at every level in every tech company that services service providers, mobile service providers. 

Chairman QUAYLE. So we are making great progress, but as Mr. 

Bennett stated in his testimony, we are just not there yet in terms 

of being able to use overlapping spectrum for different communications. 

Ms. BROWN. Right. 

Chairman QUAYLE. Okay. Well, thank you very much, and before 

I recognize Ms. Edwards, I am in the middle of two other markups just like many other people, so I apologize if I have to leave, 

and I want to thank you all for your testimony. 

And now I recognize Ms. Edwards for five minutes. 
82 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank 

you to the witnesses. 

I just have one question because you all seem to indicate that we 

need to repurpose or reallocate spectrum for commercial use, and 

just as I was sitting here, I am a big Turner Classic Movie fan, and 

one of my favorites is ‘‘Pillow Talk’’ with Doris Day, the party line, 

Rock Hudson on the other end. And I can recall probably showing 

my age, recall us having a party line when I was growing up, and 

clearly we don’t want to live in an age where if we are forced to 

share, then it means that it disrupts our ability to use and have 

broadband access when we want it and when we need it. We have 

become too accustomed to that kind of rapid access. 

But what I am curious about and Dr. Subramanian notes in your 

testimony that repurposing is only going to be a short-term solution. It is not a long-term solution, and the risk of having to share 

a spectrum in the long run still remains. 

And so my question is what is it that both the government and 

industry can do to ramp up technology and innovation in the sector 

so that, you know, in the meantime while we are reallocating and 

repurposing, which we have to do, that in the long run we are not 

going to find ourselves not just in a crunch anymore because we 

will have reallocated ad nauseam, but without the ability to meet 

the needs that all of us will have to expect rapid, up-to-the-moment 

information. 

And so I wonder if you have some comments about that, about 

what the Federal Government can do and what the private sector 

needs to do to step up research and development around sharing 

technologies. 

Maybe start with Dr. Bennett. Mr. Bennett. 

Mr. BENNETT. Just Mr. Bennett. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Okay. Well, we will make you a doctor later on, 

but we will start with Mr. Bennett. 

Mr. BENNETT. Honorary degree. One of the first things that the 

government can do is actually focus on repurposing or redesigning 

government applications where government is actually an operator 

of networks as often in the case with the defense networks and several others. Those applications can be reconfigured to use commercial networks and also commercial networking technologies. In the 

Public Safety Network, we go part of the way there that we embrace a commercial technology, but we still retain the government’s 

role as the network operator. 

One of the things that is important to realize about this whole 

repurposing issue is that there is really no downside. Say we could 

all be completely wrong and there is no spectrum crunch, but there 

is no downside to acting on the assumption that it is real and updating the applications and replacing the equipment that was installed 20 years ago to run these applications a certain way with 

more modern equipment that takes more—better advantage of the 

technologies that we have right now. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you, and perhaps we can hear from Dr. 

Subramanian. 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. First of all, I guess, in my personal opinion, 

we have started a little bit late on this whole spectrum crunch 

issue. Now, what this has led to is that there is hardly any spec-
83 

trum to allocate now. So this means we need to devise methods for 

either repurposing or sharing before it can be a lucrative industry. 

And there are efforts going on as we talked about. 

Now, on the industry front, carriers, the leading carriers as you 

all might know, they are already moving to unlimited data plans. 

If you are getting a new plan now, you’ve got to pay $50 to get five 

gigabytes a month, and potentially because of this crunch. This has 

been very clearly stated by one of the CEOs of the carriers, that 

they don’t have spectrum and are going to keep on increasing the 

cost of this. So the cost of the spectrum usage is going to increase. 

That is one thing. 

The other thing they are also trying to do is using Wi-Fi or using 

Femto cell-like technologies to offload the traffic to landlines. So 

that is—it can go only so much, so far. 

Now, if you look at the OEMs or the industry that is supporting 

the carriers, they are trying to build new advance or the next generation technology to optimize the efficiency of spectrum usage. So 

these things have to go on in parallel, and in my guestimate it 

takes at least about, you know, four to five years before technologies can be formed, tested, and deployed. So somehow the next 

four to five years the industry has to keep on making the small increments. 

Ms. EDWARDS. So could we hear from, maybe, Ms. Brown? I 

mean, what is it that we could do that would, you know, sort of 

spur Cisco and, you know, others in the industry to ramp up their 

R&D capacity? 

Ms. BROWN. Well, I think from the perspective of a manufacturer, there are already very strong profit motives in the private 

sector to engage in R&D in this area. Our customers are basically 

demanding that we create technologies that are going to enable 

them to be more efficient from a spectrum capacity. So I am not 

sure, from a private sector perspective, there is a stronger motive 

than that. 

But there are things and there are, I think, things that the Federal Government can do, and there is a role for government here. 

So things like basic research of the type we heard from from NIST 

on cognitive radio, improving, as Richard Bennett said, improving 

federal radio systems, which were designed, many of them decades 

ago in a siloed environment where there was no thought given to 

being good neighbors from a spectrum perspective. And then as Dr. 

Subramanian said, test beds are important. One of the things we 

have learned from the very limited experience so far we have had 

in Wi-Fi sharing with federal radar systems, it is very important 

to develop a level of trust if you are going to have commercial and 

federal sharing spectrum. Both sides need to know that the investments they make and the services that they are offering are going 

to continue to happen when sharing starts. And it is things like 

test beds that enable you to build that level of trust. 

So funding those sorts of activities as well is important. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you. My time has run out. 

Mr. Chairman. 

Chairman HALL. [Presiding] The Chair recognizes Mrs. Biggert, 

the gentlelady from Illinois, for five years—five minutes. 
84 

Mrs. BIGGERT. I don’t know if I have got five years of questions. 

Thank you. 

Chairman HALL. I made a mistake yesterday and cut a gentleman short and now I am overly generous. 

Mrs. BIGGERT. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. 

You know, I have got an iPad, I mean, whatever you call it, and 

a smartphone and an iPad and a Kindle. What is bothering me is 

particularly with this one, the Blackberry, I see everybody on the 

House Floor with them standing in the back, and I always ask 

them if they are talking to each other because nobody is talking 

anymore. I am really worried that the art of conversation is going 

to be gone. But we will see what happens with that. 

And Dr. Subramanian, could you describe your work on NITRD? 

I am particularly interested in the Steering Group’s role in coordinating and informing ongoing spectrum R&D activities across the 

government as well as identification of the shortcomings in the government’s R&D portfolio with respect to the technologies that allow 

more efficient use of the spectrum. 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. Yes. Thank you. Essentially, I think the first 

and foremost is to understand where is the national R&D money 

being spent, especially by the government agencies. And then to 

understand are there any national testing facilities that really exist 

that both the government and the industry can really collaborate 

and work together. 

So on the first thing, we went to all the agencies—there are 16 

agencies that are a part of the NITRD group—we went to all of 

them and said, hey, you know, where is your money going, including DARPA, NSF, DOD, DHS, all those, and where is your R&D 

portfolio going on, and they came up with a list of portfolio and a 

list of research that is happening. We did the same thing for 

testbeds, what are the testbed values, what are the features. 

Then we coordinated two national working group meetings, one 

in Boulder last year in June and then one in Berkeley in January 

2012. The first meeting we discussed the R&D areas that the government has been working on. We asked Industry, what are you 

working on? Is this all useful? And are there gaps that you want 

to do? 

And then apparently it so happens that, you know, as I kind of 

alluded to in the testimony, that the industry is very focused on 

the near-term return on investments, especially on the spectrum 

sharing perspective. 

So there are efforts going on on the government side, but there 

is a significant amount of research that needs to happen on sensing, policy, data processing, spectrum databases, and stuff—there 

is an extensive amount of research that needs to happen. And as 

Ms. Brown also mentioned, everyone said we needed a large-scale 

experimentation facility. 

Mrs. BIGGERT. Okay. Thank you. Then what—and this is whoever wants to answer this question or all, what is the best strategy 

to ensure U.S. leadership in spectrum technology development and 

innovation? 

Mr. Bennett. 

Mr. BENNETT. Yeah. I think the best way we can win that race 

is to beat the other countries in investing and research, and basic 
85 

research is one of—is the thing that really ultimately drives all of 

this, and the United States used to have a wonderful position in 

basic research because we had Bell Labs, an institution that 

wasn’t, had no parallel anywhere else in the world, and that is— 

Bell Labs, I mean, still exists in name, but it is not what it was. 

And that gap in basic research funding really can only be filled 

by the government. The commercial sector is doing a great job on 

the applied research side, although they could use some help there, 

too, but fundamentally it is from the basic research we got to the 

standards committees, and from the standards committees we go to 

the commercial products. And so it really all begins with the research. 

Mrs. BIGGERT. Thank you. Mr. Guttman-McCabe. 

Mr. GUTTMAN-MCCABE. Congressman, if I may, I would also add, 

you know, I had the privilege of going to Dallas last week and met 

with six of our members, all who have R&D facilities in the Dallas 

area, and if we went back and looked, our members have about 87 

labs in the United States doing R&D. So Ms. Brown talked about 

it. I mean, there is a lot of incentive on the private sector side to 

do this, but we do need to make sure that we make bringing spectrum to market a priority. If we do that, this will continue to be 

the hub for those R&D facilities. Almost every one of those companies is a multi-national company that has chosen to locate their 

R&D facilities here to bring those jobs, to bring those revenues 

here. 

But it is sort of chicken and egg. Part of it is because we have 

led the spectrum position for quite some time, and we have managed to get the networks out there first, but there does need to 

be—we understand that sharing is a significant part of the equation, but there are other very developed countries like Germany 

and the UK and Italy and France, Japan that have standing armies and similar sort of environments that we do that are bringing 

hundreds and hundreds of megahertz of spectrum to market. 

So our argument is we can’t fall behind them or we will lose a 

lot, including the R&D test bed facilities that we have. 

Mrs. BIGGERT. Thank you. Dr. Subramanian. 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. There are two things I want to point out. If 

you look at the first generation and second generation of the wireless technology patents, the United States had more than 80 percent, which means we were really controlling the global supply 

chain. 

But when you come to LTE, the United States has less than 40 

percent of the patents and then there are an increasing number of 

patents in China as well as in Europe. So that is caution number 

one. There is a lot to be done. 

The second thing is we asked the same question to the industry 

in Berkeley, hey, you know, what do you want to do, how can we 

help. The first thing they said was, identify the spectrum bands. 

This needs to happen. Second thing is bring those government 

agencies who are deploying the applications currently to the table 

so that we can collaborate and test in a common place. 

So this needs to happen immediately, and I think the H.R. bill 

that has recently been released will definitely help in the right direction to go there. 
86 

Mrs. BIGGERT. Okay. Thank you, and I know this Committee always stresses basic science and research and continues to do that. 

I wish all of our Members would get the joke. Thank you. 

Yield back. 

Chairman HALL. The gentlelady yields back. 

I recognize Ms. Bonamici from the State of Oregon for five minutes. 

Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman, and thank 

you, all of you, for your fascinating and important testimony, and 

I think I want to perhaps emphasize the importance. 

I know, Ms. Brown, in your testimony you mention that Cisco did 

not even consider tablets to be a device category a couple of years 

ago, and I think that is pretty staggering now as we look around 

us, and it just shows how dynamic and ever changing the sector is. 

So, and I understand that the future, even the near future, is 

pretty hard to predict, but a couple of you have mentioned in your 

testimony some emerging technologies that are on the horizon, and 

I know, Ms. Brown, you mentioned the machine communications. 

I had the pleasure of seeing a demonstration and hearing a discussion out at a fairly large Intel facility in my district, and some of 

the work that they are doing with medical technology is very, very 

promising, but really raises, I think, the issue of the need for more 

spectrum. 

So can you talk a little bit more about, I know you mentioned 

that one example, other technologies and what that is going to 

mean for consumer demand just so we can figure out how much 

teeth gnashing there is going to be. 

Ms. BROWN. Yeah. So our study that we release every year, the 

Visual Networking Index, is basically our attempt to look five years 

ahead and figure out what is going to happen on service provider 

networks from a traffic standpoint, what types of traffic are going 

to flow, what are the demands, and so on. And the purpose of that 

is so that Cisco can understand what we need to build, because it 

takes time to construct everything, and meet that demand three, 

four, five years out. 

So as we get beyond the five-year time frame it becomes a little 

murky in terms of trying to project what is going to happen, but 

it is very clear from the evidence that we see today, which is from 

existing measurements of traffic of carrier networks today from analyst reports and from the kinds of things that are sort of on the 

cusp in the standards organizations and what is happening, that 

we are about to see a transformation of the mobile Internet from 

people to people to machine to machine, as well as people to machine and people to people. 

So it is a huge transformation and a pivot point for the industry, 

and it is going to start happening over the next five years. So it 

is putting incredible demands on spectrum. 

Ms. BONAMICI. Anybody else care to opine about looking into the 

future; what we can expect? 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. Yeah. You know, if I may add to what you 

have been telling and Ms. Brown has been telling, let us take every 

economic sector, every key economic sector which is going to define 

the economic growth of this Nation. Let us talk about the energy 

sector, advanced manufacturing systems and all systems. The 
87 

whole energy grid for a significant time is going to be dependent 

on wireless. 

Ms. BONAMICI. Right. 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. Now, look at advanced transportation systems, electric charging, entertainment, safety—everything is going 

to become wireless. So now you can talk about advanced manufacturing systems and the Wall Street and the financial industry is 

going to be hit. 

Now, you are talking about every economic sector, then you see 

the whole dependence of the economy, a significant technology dependence I should say, on wireless technologies. 

Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you very much, and I wanted to follow up 

on the last set of questions and ask about—I know, Dr. 

Subramanian, that you mentioned the need, the demand is increasing not just here but in the EU and Singapore, China, and that 

they are aggressively seeking some innovative solutions. And I 

wonder if you could describe how our efforts compare, as we are attempting to address this crunch, and can we learn any lessons? I 

know that Mr. Bennett, you talked about the investment in R&D, 

but how do we compare, and can we learn anything from the, you 

said innovative solutions that are being pursued in other areas? 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. Okay. Now, let us talk about the European 

Union. Now, the European Union has created a large-scale test bed 

where all the countries and all the vendors can have a common 

place. Now, you think about so many of these vendors supporting 

the ecosystem, having a common place where they are able to work 

and develop new technologies. 

There are also efforts going on to measure the spectrum at different places and create a common database which can be used to 

deploy certain kind of architectures for spectrum sharing. 

Similar efforts are on in Singapore. Singapore is trying to aggregate all the needs of the neighboring countries as well as its own. 

Now, what happens is they get the patents. So the more and more 

patents go out to the world, American economy starts paying a premium on these technologies, and you don’t want that to happen. So 

that is the critical issue we are in right now. 

Ms. BONAMICI. Thank you. I am going to yield back my time. 

Thank you. 

Chairman HALL. Thank you. Thank you for yielding back. 

The Chair recognizes Mr. Hultgren from Illinois for five minutes. 

Mr. HULTGREN. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. Thank you all. I 

apologize. I have a busy afternoon. I have several different committees meeting and then other things, so I apologize I haven’t been 

able to be a part of all this discussion but definitely appreciate you 

being here. This is a very important topic that we need to be talking about. 

I just have a couple of questions. 

First of all, I would ask if any of you have some thoughts on this. 

I know in Dr. Olthoff’s testimony you described some of the work 

that NIST is conducting to improve emergency responder communications such as wireless systems, metrology program to measure 

distortions in difficult radio environments. This technology certainly will be very beneficial to public safety community. 
88 

I am curious as to whether you think this research would also 

be helpful in other commercial applications of wireless communication, and I just wondered if any of you have any thoughts about 

how this research could be used to help commercial communications. 

Mr. BENNETT. If I could, there is a direct tie between any sort 

of test bed that we use to verify the validity or the robustness of 

an emergency communications system like that actually produces 

immediate benefits for the consumer, because we no longer really 

have—these technologies are no longer stove-piped the way they 

used to be. 

In one of the comments that was made in connection with the 

White House’s inquiry into the Public Safety Network, one of the 

public, one of the police chiefs I believe it was, made the comment 

that the average 16-year-old in the United States has better communications capability than the average policeman does. Well, 

there is a reason for that. The 16-year-old is using a system that 

was—that is the product of hundreds of billions of dollars of investment in basic research and R&D and chip development, as well as 

testing, whereas the average policeman today is using a system 

that was custom built for a relatively small market, you know, 

some time ago when the technology was just not as well developed 

as it is. 

So there is a great benefit to standardization, which is why, you 

know, the standards bodies that developed, you know, the Wi-Fi 

standards and the 4G and LTE standards, that is where all the research comes together. So people all over the world are doing research. Everyone wants to be the next Qualcomm that has the patents on CDMA that have, you know, proved to be so valuable because they are universally deployed, and the test beds are part of 

the process to sort through the competing proposals and decide 

what the standard is going to be. I mean, we can’t, we are not really in a position in the United States in commercial or government 

sector or anywhere else to really make our own decisions about 

technology. 

Now, we pretty much have to go with the standards, because the 

arguments are so compelling. 

Dr. OLTHOFF. The requirements for the Public Safety Network 

are so demanding, the ability to operate under the most severe environmental conditions, under conditions where the data load will 

be intense under really serious circumstances, the ability to be 

ultra-secure, the ability for literally thousands and tens of thousands of disparate organizations to utilize the same network, all of 

those are pushing us towards newer technologies and newer solutions, and all of those will inevitably lead to solutions perhaps unforeseen at this time that will be useful to the commercial sector. 

Mr. HULTGREN. Mr. Bennett, if I can ask a quick question and 

get your thoughts with the expected massive increase in internet 

data transmission in the near future and also anticipated reliance 

on wireless technology, is it possible that broadband spectrum 

availability will constrain other computing technologies such as 

cloud computing, and what potential solutions are there to this 

problem? 
89 

Mr. BENNETT. Well, we need to solve the spectrum crunch, you 

know, once and for all, and I think the way that we do that is by— 

and I alluded to this in my oral testimony. It is also in my written 

statement. Development of technologies like spatial division, multiple access, and multiuser MIMO that allow multiple people multiple data strains to actually occupy the same frequency at the 

same time, and that pretty well, when those are fully developed, 

you know, there is no more spectrum crunch. 

But it certainly is the case that the—by constraining the bandwidth that we have available for emerging applications like augmented mobile reality, which is directly related to the cloud, then 

the cloud can’t really develop until the users of augmented mobile 

reality can exchange video streams with the cloud processing systems, and so, yeah, it is a crucial building block. I mean, application developers would use whatever spectrum is available, whatever bandwidth is available to them, they will use it. And if it is 

only enough for narrow band, fairly unimaginative applications, 

then that is what we will have. 

Mr. HULTGREN. My time is up, but real quickly, just following 

up, Mr. Bennett, when do you think some of that might happen, 

some of that next advancement of technology? Any guess? I mean, 

is that in the next few years, is that the next decades? 

Mr. BENNETT. I think we are going to start to see really dramatic 

changes probably within the next 10 years. It could be sooner than 

that. Network affects, it is really always difficult to take a revolutionary new technology and introduce it into the marketplace because there is so much momentum around the existing systems, 

but I would say as soon as five years and as—at worst case probably 20 to 30. 

Mr. HULTGREN. Thank you all very much. I yield back. 

Chairman HALL. The gentleman yields back. 

The Chair recognizes Ms. Edwards for whatever time she wants 

to consume. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Thank you, Mr. Chairman. He promised me five 

years, so you all will be here for awhile. 

Just one question here, and it goes to a reference in Dr. 

Subramanian’s testimony where he mentioned that the industry’s 

focus on supporting the deployment of 4G technology and isn’t 

ready to invest in spectrum sharing research and development, and 

I am curious as to what can be done to encourage more active involvement by industry in this area. 

And it goes to another point that was made. I think Mr. 

Guttman, in your testimony, where you talked about focusing on 

repurposing and reallocation as opposed to other newer technologies around spectrum sharing, and I am just trying to get a 

handle on this question of what it means for the consumer, because 

if we reallocate and use as much spectrum as there is available and 

it is a finite resource, then at some point or other the consumer is 

like paying through the nose for data. 

And that may not happen right now, but it is increasingly, and 

so I am trying to figure out what the incentive is for the industry 

to make investments in this existing technology, because it isn’t 

just about the consumer demand, because I could imagine an environment where when none of the big carriers moves to invest, 
90 

where you would just say, well, you know, consumer demand, they 

pay more for what is available. What is then the incentive for the 

industry? 

Mr. GUTTMAN-MCCABE. Sure. 

Ms. EDWARDS. And so, Mr. Guttman, can you—— 

Mr. GUTTMAN-MCCABE. Yeah. 

Ms. EDWARDS [continuing]. Help me with that? 

Mr. GUTTMAN-MCCABE. Yeah. I think the clearest way to address 

this is almost to bifurcate the effort, to look at what can be done 

in the short term to address this conflict between supply and demand, and I think you would only need to look at the back row behind me. I am not sure they are still back there, but all those 

young folks when they first came in, I came in front of—right behind many of them through security. Every single one of them had 

at least one device. 

And so what we are looking at, and I think Ms. Brown referenced 

this is what is in the pipeline in terms of spectrum resources, and 

there really isn’t anything, and we are unique in the develop world 

in that sense. So we have got to focus on getting something in the 

pipeline now that is usable now. 

And so when I talk about sort of real-time sharing or opportunistic use, I think everyone agrees that that is the long-term solution except for every panel I have been on in front of Congress, at 

the President’s PCAs, everyone has said there is not a solution that 

is available or scalable yet. 

And so how do we get to that, how do we bridge that timeframe 

between now and Mr. Bennett’s five, 10, 30 years, and from our 

perspective it is let us focus again in the short term, having our 

government, you know, officials focus on repurposing the spectrum 

that is available. We looked at the broadcasters for every 100 

megahertz that they use, 190 are not being used. So how do we 

drive efficiencies from that? How do we drive efficiencies from some 

of the government uses? There are microwave uses in bands that 

just do not need to be there. 

So how can we drive out some of those efficiencies, bring it to 

market. At the same time you heard Ms. Brown say that they have 

every incentive to move to solutions that drive efficiency. When we 

were in Dallas last week, one of our largest manufacturers who is 

one of the largest in the world, said every single wireless solution 

that they have employed around the world was developed in the 

United States. 

So I hope that the takeaway from here is not that the United 

States is not doing its part. That is why we are seeing multinational companies move their R&D facilities here into the United 

States. But there does need to be some focus on sort of some of the 

longer-term solutions. My point is we can’t say that that is the gold 

standard now when it currently doesn’t exist. It is a wonderful, absolutely necessary aspiration to get to it, and it will solve a tremendous amount of the problems, but once it is available, and there are 

people spending great deals of money on that. 

Ms. EDWARDS. So, thank you, and because my time is running 

out, so I just want to be clear. From your industry perspective reallocate, repurpose for the short term, invest in the R&D and the 

technology and the development for the long term and so, Dr.—Mr. 
91 

Bennett, Dr. Olthoff, are we making enough of an investment in 

basic research from the Federal Government to support the longterm activities that have to take place in R&D? 

Mr. BENNETT. Probably not. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Just say it for the microphone. It is okay. 

Dr. OLTHOFF. Certainly NIST has sufficient resources to be addressing the problems that we are working on right now, and the 

proposed initiative in the President’s ’13, budget will go a long way 

towards helping us address some of the new measurement needs 

that are being—all these new technologies we will be needing. 

Ms. EDWARDS. Okay. Thank you very much. Thank you, Mr. 

Chairman. 

Chairman HALL. The gentlelady yields back. 

Mr. Lipinski, the gentleman from Illinois, for five minutes. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Thank you very much, Mr. Chairman. A quick 

question. The question that people I go home, people will want to 

know the answer to, is there going to be a point, maybe you feel 

like it is happening now, but is there going to be a point where the 

spectrum crunch causes a noticeable drop off in service? That is 

what—I talk about this at home, and people just want to know, 

okay, so what is it going to do to me? What am I going to—what 

impact am I going to feel? 

So I just wanted to hear what any of you want to say about that. 

So, okay, let us start on the right side and go across. 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. Yeah. I mentioned this some time back here. 

If you look at the major carriers, they have already removed the 

unlimited data plans. So at minimum now you have to pay $50. I 

used to pay for my Blackberry $29.99 for unlimited data plan from 

Verizon, and now if anyone wants to get a new data plan, you just 

get 5 gigabytes for $50, and this is going to be increasing more and 

more. 

Now, added to this, there is going to be quality of service issues, 

there is going to be dropped call issues, and things are going to go 

slow, and if this continues in 4 or five years, even to look at 

Facebook is going to be very difficult. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. And that first part, is that a spectrum issue, or is 

that—well, if I had one of these companies, I could raise my prices, 

I would raise my prices. Is it that, or is it the spectrum issue? 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. One of the major carriers has said it is a spectrum issue, and the government needs to act. 

Ms. BROWN. Yes. It is a spectrum issue. All of the major carriers 

have discussed this in various respects, and the thing to understand about it is it is going to hit, the impact to consumers is going 

to hit, geographically it is going to be different and by carrier it is 

going to be different, depending on how much spectrum they have 

in the cupboard that they can bring out to address it. 

So the major metropolitan areas, New York City, even San Francisco when I go back to Cisco’s corporate headquarters in San Jose, 

when you are driving down the 101 to San Jose, it is very hard to 

get a connection that actually doesn’t drop or have some issue with 

trying to get connectivity. 

So we are already starting, sort of the early hints of it are here. 

The Federal Communications Commission said they think that we 
92 

are going to start seeing that more in a broad way next year if additional spectrum isn’t found. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. So is this something that is going to happen sort 

of slowly and just gets more and more aggravating and so—and 

that is something that is going to, unfortunately—— 

Ms. BROWN. Yeah. 

Mr. LIPINSKI [continuing]. A lot of times up here on Capitol Hill 

we don’t do anything until there is a crisis or a big sharp drop off 

somehow but—— 

Ms. BROWN. Yes. 

Mr. GUTTMAN-MCCABE. Congressman, we coined the term ‘‘looming spectrum crisis,’’ in part to get the attention of you as leaders 

because—— 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Because you know that is the only way. 

Mr. GUTTMAN-MCCABE. Exactly. I didn’t say that, but that was— 

we tried to find a way to identify in a very succinct, very easy to 

understand way, and I think, again, I have spent an inordinate 

amount of time defending whether, in fact, there is a looming spectrum crunch or crisis, and I keep saying, you know, if this is a conspiracy, it is a global conspiracy because every country is addressing this issue, and when we talk about the area where we are falling behind, that is one area where we are falling behind. You look 

at the countries that I listed earlier, the closest one has a third of 

our population, you know, Japan. I mean, you look at Germany, the 

UK, Italy, France, South Korea. They have all identified hundreds 

and hundreds of megahertz. Some of them have brought it to market, and they have done it because they don’t want to see that impact, they don’t want to see carriers taking steps to try to drive 

down usage of their product, and they do want to see this explosion 

in verticals, whether it is M–Health or smart education or intelligent transportation. 

I mean, we are seeing sort of the movement of wireless into so 

many sectors, and it is fantastic, and yet at the same time, it could 

be concerning if we don’t begin to address both short and long-term 

this concern about the lack of spectrum in the pipeline. 

Mr. BENNETT. The spectrum crunch hit San Francisco in 2007, 

when the iPhone took off and every hipster in town had to have 

one, and San Francisco has its unique policy where they really 

don’t like to issue zoning permits for new towers, and so without 

spectrum, you know, it is, yeah, there is two solutions. Right. There 

is either more spectrum or more towers. And if you can’t get the 

towers and you don’t have the spectrum, then what happens is, you 

know, the hipsters can’t have their iPhones. I mean, now that 

they—— 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Now you have hit the key here. 

Mr. BENNETT. But now they have got Sprint so maybe, you know, 

maybe with Sprint and Verizon having the iPhone, you know, the 

people of San Francisco, some of them are hipsters but not all, will, 

you know, will be able to enjoy that. 

Dr. SUBRAMANIAN. You know, personally, I don’t think I would 

be very upset if I could not see the Facebook on my smartphone— 

my 11-year-old daughter might be—but I think the key point is 

this Nation has progressed. The economy has grown through innovation in various sectors and there is a fundamental dependency of 
93 

different sectors of the economy. For example, the Smart Grid, the 

advanced transportation systems, the medical systems, advanced 

manufacturing systems. They are all extremely different, dependent on wireless technologies, which means that job creation capability of this Nation is dependent on what is the spectrum usage 

and how effectively we can use it. So that is the fundamental problem. 

Mr. LIPINSKI. Well, I am glad you brought it back to that because 

that—when we get down to it, we are talking about the convenience, and good, you know, devices are important, but the bottom 

line, the final bottom line is this is about, you know, economic 

growth. 

So thank you very much, and I yield back. 

Chairman HALL. The gentleman yields back. 

I have just a brief something I would like to put in the record. 

The spectrum policy has been discussed at length this Congress, 

and there has been a dramatic increase in demand on spectrum in 

recent years, and to meet this demand there are those who argue 

the need for the new technologies and more efficient use of spectrum. 

We also hear the argument from others that unleashing new 

spectrum through spectrum auctions is the solution to so-called, 

‘‘spectrum crunch.’’ 

An article appeared in the New York Times today and which 

highlighted these various opinions and detailed the issues surrounding spectrum use and the wireless economy. 

I would like to ask unanimous consent that this article be put 

in, entered into the record, and without objection, it is so ordered. 

[The information may be found in Appendix 2.] 

Chairman HALL. And I will say now to you, nobody else here, 

don’t judge our interest and our appreciation of your appearance 

here today by empty chairs, because all these people have at least 

three places they ought to be right now, and we are thankful that 

they came and gave us as much time as they could, but we know 

you took time to prepare yourselves, and it takes time to give this 

testimony, and we are very grateful to you because you are helping 

us solve something that is almost insolvable. 

I thank you for your valuable testimony and thank the Members 

for their questions, and the Members of the Committee might have 

some additional questions for you. We will ask you all to respond 

to those if you will, and the record will remain open for two weeks 

for additional comments and statements from Members. 

The witnesses are excused. Thank all of you for coming. This 

hearing is now adjourned. 

[Whereupon, at 3:32 p.m., the Subcommittee was adjourned.] 
94 

ANSWERS TO POST-HEARING QUESTIONS
95 

ANSWERS TO POST-HEARING QUESTIONS

RESPONSES FROM DR. JAMES OLTHOFF
96 

• Wireless communications at millimeter-wave frequencies have some 

fundamental advantages that promise long-term solutions (>10 years) for 

solving the spectrum crunch: 

1. The bandwidth available at millimeter-wave frequencies is well over 30 

times the currently available spectrum. 

2. The short wavelengths at millimeter-wavelengths inherently confine 

signals to a local area, which is an advantage in terms of spectrum 

reuse. 

3. Small highly directional antennas are well-suited to mobile applications 

and limit interference from nearby mobile units. 

NIST has recently launched research programs that support development 

of these technologies. 
97 

QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD 

THE HONORABLE LAMAR SMITH (R-TX) 

U.S. House Committee on Seience, Space, and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation 

Wednesday, April 18,2012 

1. According to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), existing mobile 

phones are already equipped to receive local radio broadcasts, and new phones 

can easily be modified. Such a capability might come in handy to receive 

information during emergencies when people are unable to get cellular phone 

coverage. The NAB has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 

other Federal agencies to explore this proposal. What are your thoughts on this 

proposal? Do you believe that the cost and benefit to the public of equipping 

mobile phones with free broadcast radio has merit over other proposals? What hurdles 

exist to implementing such a capability in mobile phones? 

In the event of an emergency, it is important to be able to broadcast an 

emergency message to many receivers simultaneously. This is a role that 

broadcast radio has f'Illed for many years. The Federal Communications 

Commission (FCC), in partnership with Federal Emergency Management 

Agency (FEMA) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's 

National Weather Service (NWS), is in the process of developing an enhanced 

Emergency Alert System (EAS) to benefit the public. EAS will be used by 

radio broadcasters, television broadcasters, and subscription media providers 

in similar fashion. Historically, mobile telephones have not served as receivers 

for one-to-many broadcasts. However, the newer standards include provision 

for "Cell Broadcast," in which emergency messages can be delivered to all 

mobile phone handsets in a region simultaneously. NIST has not been 

involved with the development of EAS, so technical questions would be more 

effectively answered by NWS, FEMA, and the FCC. 
98 

ITIF 

lh(' Inl'Irmali()J) fcrhn()it\\!\ &. lnn(I\;11ion I'llundation "-

To: The Honorable Ben Quayle 

Chainnan, Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

United States House of Representatives 

Washington, DC 20515 

Attn: Melia Jones 

From: Richard Bennett 

Senior Rcsearch Fellow, Infonnation Technology & Innovation Foundation 

Washington, DC 20005 

Dear Chainnan Quayle, 

Thank you again for allowing me the opportunity to testify at your hearing on Spectrum 

Policy for Innovation. I found the hearing infonnative and hope the members did 

likewise. The following addresses the questions put to me in writing. 

The Chairman asks: 

1. What role will both the federal government and the private sector have in 

ensuring that the U. S. becomes/remains the global standards leader in spectrum? 

First, the U. S. currently lags our European partners in spectrum available for mobile 

broadband, so our network providers are forced to over-invest in the bricks and mortar 

elements of their businesses - towers and related backhaul- and under-invest in research 

and development. Transferring 300 MHz or more from government use to commercial 

use will bring us to par with Europe or slightly above, allowing the private sector to 

spend more on R&D. 

Second, a number of spectrum allocations have been made to commercial entities in the 

U. S. that no longer make economic or technical sense. The most glaring example is Over 

the Air TV. Most Americans now watch TV over cable and satellite services, so the 

massive allocation of spectrum to OT A TV no longer makes sense. The mobile networks 

have, on average, one hertz of spectrum per actual user, while OT A TV has closer to ten 

hertz per user. Broadcasters are reluctant to return their spectrum licenses to the FCC for 

fear they'll lose the "must carry" retransmission fees in the process. Congress and the 
99 

Questions from the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation Page 2 

FCC can clarify a resolution to the "must carry" clause of the Cable Act that frees the 

obligation from the means of transmission. 

Third, the U. S. can aggressively fund rcsearch through direct grants to research 

institutions and a permanent R&D Tax Credit. 

Fourth, the U. S. must continue to lead the world in flexible use policies for spectrum, 

avoiding the trap that Europe set for itself by mandating the use of GSM for 2G digital 

cell phone service. Europe had to make additional allocations specifically for 3G, and 

once again for LTE. It's much better to allocate large swathes of spectrum to an auction 

process that allows the market to determine the best technology for the spectrum. The 

technology moves much faster than the regulators, and it also corrects its own mistakes. 

This is not to say that there should not be unlicensed spectrum for wireless Local Area 

Networks such as Wi-Fi, Personal Area Networks such as Bluetooth, experimental Wide 

Area Networks using vacated TV White Spaces; there should, but for the immediate 

future the spectrum crunch is most severe in the licensed sector so it needs the most 

attention. 

2. What are the most pressing spectrum related research priorities for the next five, 

ten, and twenty years? What do you see as the "long-term spectrum solution?" 

Spectrum research falls into two general categories: A) Means for sharing network 

capacity within an operational network, such as Code Division Multiple Access 

(CDMA,) Space Division Multiple Access (SDMA,) scheduling systems, dynamic 

reallocation, modulation systems such as OFDM, and advanced coding systems, and 

ccllular architecture advances such as L TE' s macro-cell, micro-cell hybrid architecture 

and developments in Internet Protocol (IP) use that support Quality of Service (QoS) for 

telephony and video conferencing; and B) means of coordination between operational 

networks such as Authorized Shared Access, the White Spaces database and similar 

approaches, and software-defined cognitive radios. 

Intra-network efficiency and performance advances are most critical in the five year term, 

but inter-network coordination work may become important in the ten year horizon. 

Network technologists are free to develop inter-network coordination systems already, 

and have begun to do so in recent standards for Wi-Fi mesh (IEEE 802.11 s) and TV 

White Spaces (802.22.) 

Over the longer term, developments in modulation and coding will focus on the 

simultaneous use of common frequencies in adjacent locales without receiver 

impairment. This longer term technology holds the promise of relieving spectrum stress 

and ushering in smart antennas, but it's currently very speculative. 
100 

Questions from the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation Page 3 

It's doubtful that there wiII ever be an ultimate solution to spectrum sharing, however. 

It's helpful to regard every spectrum technology as amenable to improvement. This 

assumption will force regulators to design dynamism into the spectrum policy system, a 

very wise working assumption. 

3. Please describe how industry shapes spectrum research and development. 

Specifically, how does spectrum-related research funded through non-federal 

means, including academic, commercial, and public safety sector sources trigger 

the creation of innovative new businesses and new applications that will 

transform Americans' lives? 

Spectrum research begins in research institutions funded by public and private means, 

moves to simulation systems and test beds, and then advances to standards bodies such as 

3GPP and IEEE 802 if it has merit. Standards bodies dictate the work of chip 

manufacturers, and they in tum produce the elements that go into smart phones and other 

wireless systems. Industry tends to spend its research dollars on systems that can produce 

financial returns in lcss than five years, for obvious reasons, while the academic sector is 

free to look further down the road. Academic research on cognitive radio has been 

ongoing for close to ten years and may yet produce dramatic benefits. 

In the technology field generally, research and development on military, public safety, 

and aerospace systems has commercial spillovers. Military research on resilient networks 

lead to the development of packet switching, a vital part of the Internet and modem 

cellular networks. The heads-up displays now found in high-end automobiles began as 

elements of advanced fighter planes, and GPS was originally a military system. 

Public safety has a list of applications it wishes to run over FirstNet, all of which have 

potential value to ordinary consumers. Public Safety is in a position to move the ball 

forward on the sharing of capacity with the private sector, to the mutual benefit of first 

responders and ordinary citizens. 

We once stove-piped government and civilian uses oftechnology, which is appropriate 

enough when the research target is munitions and combat systems, but not in other cases. 

The need to communicate is a general human characteristic, so any system that enhances 

the ability to communicate in all scenarios is widely beneficial. 

The Honorable Mr. Smith asks: 

1. According to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), existing mobile 

phones are already equipped to receive local radio broadcasts, and new phones 

can easily be modified. Such a capability might come in handy to receive 
101 

Questions from the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation Page 4 

infonnation during emergencies whcn people are unable to get cellular phone 

coverage. The NAB has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency and 

other Federal agencies to explore this proposaL What are your thoughts on this 

proposal? Do you believe that the cost and benefit to the public of equipping 

mobile phones with free broadcast radio has merit over other proposals? What 

hurdles exist to implementing such a capability in mobile phones? 

I'm reminded of a famous statement by President Reagan: "Government's view of the 

economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps 

moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it." The desire to force 

manufacturers of smart phones to incorporate extraneous elements is an example of an 

unproductive subsidy. If the NAB is correct, smartphones already have this capability and 

there is no reason for government to force it upon them. 

But the NAB is not correct, because most smart phones don't incorporate AM and FM 

radio receivers. Each receiver requires an antenna tuned to a specific range of 

frequencies, and the modem smartphone has limited space for antennas. Portable radios, 

in cars or otherwise, require separate antennas for AM and FM, for example, and 

smartphones typically include antennas for four cellular frequencies, two Wi-Fi 

frequencies, Bluetooth and GPS already. If consumers needed and wanted more reception 

capability in their smartphones, vendors would certainly provide it. 

In California, where I live currently, we all keep earthquake kits on hand for times of 

disaster. These kits include drinking water, first aid, non-perishable food, radios, 

batteries, and sometimes generators. When I lived in Central Texas, we kept portable 

radios on hand in case of tornados, power failures, and hurricanes. Most of us have radios 

in our cars, despite the absence of any federal mandate, because we want them. There is 

no shortage of radios and no need for the NAB to seek this subsidy from the government. 

One of motivations for the NAB's proposal revolves around a perfonnance rights tax that 

would compensate creative talent for loss of income due to digital piracy. We at ITIF are 

strongly supportive of measures that would halt or reduce the piracy of creative work. 

Our report, "Steal these Policies: Strategies for Reducing Digital Piracy" 

(http://www.itif.orgltl1es/2009-digitul-piracy.pdf) is an important background element 

that helped shape the SOP A and Protect IP bills and our work was cited by members of 

the House Judiciary Committee several times during the SOP A markup. But we don't 

regard the radio mandate as effective. 

In times of emergency, citizens require better two-way communication capability, which 

is best provided by the very robust and redundant cellular network. 
102 

Questions from the Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation Page 5 

Conclusion 

I hope these answers are adequate, and remain open to providing additional information 

or clarification as desired. 

Richard Bennett 
103 

Christopher Guttman-McCabe, CTIA - The Wireless Association® 

Responses to Questions for the Record of the April 18, 2012 

Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Questions from the Hon. Ben Quayle 

1. What role will both the federal government and the private sector have in ensuring that the u.s. 

becomes/remains the global standards leader in spectrum? 

Response: CTIA believes that the federal government must foster an environment that allows U.S. 

companies to innovate and develop new wireless technologies that can be exported around the world. 

Two necessary ingredients for Wireless innovation are an adequate supply of radio spectrum and 

financing for research and development. The government can help nurture this environment by 

ensuring that spectrum is allocated for the highest purposes, such as commercial broadband services, 

supporting R&D through both tax credits and stable, pro-investment tax policies, and by embracing 

policies that enable U.S. companies access to qualified workers by, for instance, granting conditional 

permanent resident status to foreign students who earn advanced degrees in a STEM (science, 

technology, engineering, or mathematics) field. 

2. What are the most pressing spectrum related research priorities for the next five, ten, and 

twenty years? What do you see as the "long-term" spectrum solution? 

Response: For now and the foreseeable future, the overarching challenge will be to accommodate 

consumers' ever-increasing demand for more mobile data throughput. In order to meet this challenge, 

research must focus efforts on expanding the supply of usable spectrum for commercial applicationsincluding both licensed and unlicensed - and, at the same time, increasing the efficient use of the 

existing inventory. 

Near-term research efforts should focus on examining methods for clearing targeted federal 

government and television broadcast spectrum bands from "beach front" spectrum bands to make way 

for new commercial broadband services. Research is needed to determine how best to accommodate 

these incumbent governmental uses in other frequency bands or via commercial networks. 

Nonetheless, it is difficult to envision an ultimate "long-term" solution to the current spectrum 

problem. As quickly as advancements are made, new challenges and demands will surely arise that 

require new solutions and developments. 

3. Please describe how industry shapes spectrum research and development. Specifically, how does 

spectrum related research funded through non-federal means, including academic, cammercial, 

and public safety sector sources trigger the creation of innovative new businesses and new 

applications that will transform Americans' lives? 

Response: The state of innovation in wireless services is extremely strong, and it has been funded in 

large part by non-federal means. In fact, CTIA has identified over 8S wireless-related R&D facilities in the 

U.s., many of which are affiliated with global companies that could locate anywhere but have chosen to 

locate in the U.S. because of our world-leading position in wireless technology. This world leading 

position has helped drive a virtuous cycle of investment in which, even during challenging economic 

times, the wireless industry has continued to invest tens of billions of dollars in providing consumers 

1 
104 

Christopher Guttman-McCabe, CTIA - The Wireless Association® 

Responses to Questions for the Record of the April 18, 2012 

Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

with new features and functionality as well as improved wireless performance. Consumers' growing 

appetite for a variety of mobile broadband services is driving competition and the need for greater 

capacity on broadband networks. This leads to investments in innovative new products to entice 

customers as well as investments to upgrade wireless broadband networks to meet customer needs. As 

noted in response to Question 1, the u.s. government can take steps to facilitate innovation, but it will 

ultimately fall to the private sector to make the investments necessary to create the new businesses and 

new applications that Americans increasingly expect and demand. 

Question from the Hon. Lamar Smith 

1. According to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), existing mobile phones are already 

equipped to receive local radio broadcasts or new phones can easily be modified. Such a 

capability might come in handy to receive information during emergencies when people are 

unable to get cellular phone coverage. The NAB has asked the Federal Emergency Agency and 

other Federal agencies to explore this proposal. What are your thoughts on this proposal? Do 

you believe that the cost and benefit to the public of equipping mobile phones with free 

broadcast radio has merit aver other proposals? What hurdles exist to implementing such a 

capability in mobile phones? 

Response: The use ofthe mobile platform to extend the existing emergency alert system was at the 

heart of Congress' work when it enacted the Warning, Alert and Response Network (or WARN) Act as 

part of the SAFE Ports Act in 2006. That legislation, which CTIA supported, set in motion that process 

that has led to the deployment this year of Wireless Emergency Alerts, which will enable commercial 

mobile customers to receive geo-targeted messages on their mobile devices warning them of an 

imminent threat to health and safety. 

As a part ofthe WARN Act's implementation process, the Federal Communications Commission 

established the Commercial Mobile Service Alert AdviSOry Committee, comprised of more than 40 

individuals representing tribal, local, state, and federal government agencies, communications 

providers, communications eqUipment vendors, multiple representatives of the broadcaster industry, 

consumers' groups, and other technical experts. In evaluating all of the potential technological options 

available for executing on the WARN Act's call for a mobile alert system, the CMSAAC considered and 

rejected the use of a number of technologies, including a NOAA Weather Radio, an FM-receiver, a 

paging chip, and a satellite chip, as a possible solution to enabling emergency alerting in commercial 

mobile devices. As the CMSAAC noted, there are a number of technical challenges which exist with using 

these non-native services in commercial mobile handsets, including providing an antenna that is not 

integrated with a wired headset and addressing power consumption. 

With the CMSAAC having reached the conclusion - correctly, in our view - that FM is not appropriate for 

wireless emergency alerts, we view the inclusion of FM capability in wireless devices as something that 

must be driven by consumer preference and market forces. NAB appears to shares this view, as NAB 

CEO Gordon Smith told the House Energy & Commerce Subcommittee on Communications & 

Technology, in response to a question posed by Rep. Marsha Blackburn at a hearing in 2011, that "NAB 

2 
105 

Christopher Guttman-McCabe, CTIA - The Wireless Association® 

Responses to Questions for the Record of the April 18, 2012 

Hearing before the House Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

is not asking for a government-imposed mandate that mobile devices incorporate an FM radio chip." 

NAB has repeated this position on its blog in a post titled "Radio-enabled cell phones: A voluntary 

approach to public safety," available at http://nabroadcasters.wordpress.com!2012!02!10!radioenabled-cellphones-a-voluntary-approach-to-public-safetv/. 

Additionally, even in the absence of any such mandate, there are more than 45 mobile phones with FM 

radio capability already available to consumers. To the extent that these devices perform well in the 

marketplace, it may be reasonable to expect additional FM-equipped devices to come to market. It is 

not reasonable, however, to imply that new phones can be easily modified or to expect all devices to be 

FM-capable. Furthermore, many consumers seem to prefer to use applications like Pandora and Spotify 

to access music and entertainment, since these services allow consumers to customize the material they 

receive, in contrast to "one-to-many" FM-radio programming where the content and format is dictated 

by the provider rather than the consumer. Consumers also have ready access to a significant number of 

NOAA Weather Radio and FM station broadcasts through streaming service applications such as 

iHeartRadio and WunderRadio. 

3 
106 

RESPONSE FROM MS. MARY L. BROWN

QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD 

THE HONORABLE BEN QUAL YE (R-AZ) 

U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 

1. What role will both the federal government and the private sector have in 

ensuring that the U.S. becomes/remains the global standards leader in spectrum? 

The federal government has two important roles to bolster the US position as a global 

leader in spectrum technology: (1) create a pipeline of radio spectrum for advanced 

technologies, such as mobile broadband, so that spectrum supply helps the US market 

remain a center of commercial wireless innovation; and (2) support basic research that 

has potential to address advancements in radio technology, both in using spectrum more 

efficiently and in making more radio spectrum available. The private sector has two 

primary roles also: (1) fostering global technology standards that support advances in 

wireless technology; and (2) focusing commercial R&D efforts that can be implemented 

in the context of global standards. 

2. What are the most pressing spectrum related research priorities for the next five, 

ten, and twenty years? What do you see as the "long-term spectrum solution?" 

Short term: because commercial mobile broadband is rapidly becoming the dominant use 

for commercial spectrum, the short term critical path is to promote innovation that 

commercial broadband platforms (such as LTE) utilize spectrum even more efficiently 

over time through advancements in transmission technology, processing power, and other 

strategies, such as the use of small cells to offload traffic. These advances will largely be 

in the domain of private entities, including everyone from venture capital-funded start 

ups to large networking equipment companies. These involve complex existing 

standards-based technologies, and are not an area where government research is likely to 

produce noticeable gains. In the long term, advances in processing capability, 

transmission technology and a declining cost curve will push the industry toward more 

dynamic or flexible spectrum sharing technologies. This will occur gradually and 

incrementally, probably targeting bands with fixed uses first. Significant development 

work would be required to ultimately abandon the concept of "managed radio spectrum" 

that we utilize today in deploying mobile broadband networks. Basic research, funded by 

government, may have a role to play here. In addition, rational business models will need 

to evolve or emerge that make technology advances compelling to consumers. 
107 

3. Please describe how industry shapes spectrum research and development. 

Spec!fical~y, how does spectrum-related research fimded through non:federal 

means, including academic, commercial, and public safety sector sources trigger 

the creation of innovative new businesses and new applications that will 

transform Americans' lives? 

Global standards, supported by global spectrum allocations, best support commercial 

spectrum research. A growing, thriving global marketplace attracts funding because it 

presents an opportunity for return on investment. The mobile apps industry, a wholly 

new sector, exists because mobile broadband networks became powerful enough to 

support applications that consumers wanted to buy. And that occurred because hundreds 

of companies formed a consensus around global standards, enabling mobile broadband 

networks to be built. 
108 

QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD 

THE HONORABLE LAMAR SMITH (R-TX) 

U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Avoiding the SpecfnIm Crunch: Grorving the Wireless Economy through Innovation 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 

1. According to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), existing mobile phones 

are already equipped to receive local radio broadcasts, and or new phones can easily be 

modified. Such a capability might come in handy to receive information during 

emergencies when people are unable to get cellular phone coverage. The NAB has asked 

the Federal Emergency Management Agency and other Federal agencies to explore this 

proposal. What are your thoughts on this proposal? Do you believe that the cost and 

benefit to the public of equipping mobile phones with free broadcast radio has merit over 

other proposals? What hurdles exist to implementing such a capability in mobile phones? 
109 

QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD 

THE HONORABLE RANDY NEUGEBAUER (R-TX) 

U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 

1. In your testimony, you indicate that Cisco projects a 16-fold increase in mobile data 

traffic from 2011 to 2016. Could you briefly describe how Cisco made this estimate? 

2. How much do you imagine technology efficiencies and innovation will be able to slow 

the increase in pressure on spectrum usage, and how much will have to come from the 

government freeing up more spectrum? 

3. You mention, in your testimony, the offioading of traffic to Wi-Fi. Are there any 

industry efforts underway to encourage users to switch to Wi-Fi when it is available? Are 

there any upcoming technologies that could result in additional offioading to preserve 

mobile data usage? 
110 

QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS FOR THE RECORD 

Dr. Rangam Subramanian 

Chief Wireless and Technology Strategist, 

Idaho National Laboratory, Idaho Falls, Idaho 

Before the 

House Committee on Science, Space and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

On 

"AVOIDING THE SPECTRUM CRUNCH: GROWING 

THE WIRELESS ECONOMY THROUGH 

INNOVATION" 

May 25, 2012 
111 

QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD 

THE HONORABLE BEN QUAL YE (R-AZ) 

U.S. House Committee on Science, Space, and Teehnology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation 

Wednesday, Aprill8, 2012 

1. Wbat role will both the federal government and the private sector have in ensuring that the 

U.S. becomes/ remains the global standards leader iu Spectrum? 

Current spectrum crunch makes it imperative for both the government and the private sector to work 

together to address the issue. The specific roles to be played by each to ensure that the U.S. 

becomeslremains the global leader can be summarized as below. 

Federal government: 

• Define the national policy on future spectrum sharing or repurposing; 

• Identify spectral bands for sharing and/or repurposing; 

• Build national collaboration between the government, industry and the academia; 

• Enable accelerated, realistic research and experimentation: 

• Develop a national roadmap prioritizing research 

• Fund accelerated and transfonnational research to develop trustable, secure spectrum sharing 

technologies and toolsets, which in tum, builds the vendor ecosystem; 

• Fund realistic, large-scale, outdoor wireless testing capabilities, to promote quality research 

and experimentation conducted collaboratively between the industry, government and 

academia. 

Private Sector: 

• Embrace the emerging reality of spectrum sharing; 

• Support and fund spectrum sharing research and experimentation; 

• Collaborate with the govenunent on innovation and experimentation; 

• Build spectrum sharing technology standards that can be deployed globally; 

• Develop organic next generation, spectrum sharing technology eco-system; 

• Develop innovative business models to continue growing a secure wireless economy and to 

enable the l,'Towth of other key economic sectors. 

2. What are the most pressing spectrum related research priorities for the next five, ten and 

twenty years? What do you see as the "long-term spectrum solutiou?" 

5 Years: 

(I) Spectrum Technology Research: 
112 

• Radio Frequency layer technologies, such as, broadband sensing devices, interference 

mitigation algorithms, chipsets with advanced fast signal processing technologies, antenna 

systems. 

• Network architectnres, protocols, standards, spectrum databases, access and usage policies; 

• New business models to deploy next generation, disruptive technologies; 

• Cost efficient spectrum retooling for incumbent defense and other governmental systems; 

• Technolo!,'Y inte!,>Tation, interoperability experimentation and data analytics based on test 

results acquired through experimentation on realistic, outdoor national testbeds to enable 

effective standards and rule-making development; 

(2) Multi-disciplinary research and experimentation, applying wireless spectrum sharing technologies 

to public safety, critical infrastructure protection, energy, medical, transportation, advanced 

manufacturing, education and other economic sectors; 

(3) Wireless end-to-end network security in a spectrum sharing environment; 

Ten - Twenty Years: 

The pace oftechnology development and usage prevent specific predictions for ten years and twenty 

years separately. However, the general long ternl research priorities will revolve around the following: 

(I) Spectrum Research 

• Next generation techniques and teclmology development for increasing spectral efficiency; 

• High frequency (beyond 5 GHz) research and enabling network architectures; 

• Cost efficient chipsets and devices for RF transceivers at high frequencies; 

• Advanced battery technologies and technologies for ultra-low-energy wireless networks; 

• Next generation secure protocols, devices and architectures for national defense, critical 

infrastructure protection, law enforcement and commercial use; 

(2) Research on transfoffilational wireless applications in national defense, law enforcement, space 

communications, unmanned air space systems, advanced transportation networks and other major 

economic sectors; 

(3) Research on unified airborne and terrestrial communications. 

Long Term Solution: 

Spectrum is a unique natural resource, limited like oil, but available globally. However, there are alternate 

sources to generate energy, but wireless communications is limited to using the spectrum and constrained 

by the laws of physics applicable to various spectral bands. Hence, there is a no single long term wireless 

spectrum solution that can be applied globally. 

Based upon the current state of research and technology, the near term solution will depend on sharing 

spectrum where appropriate, establishing new architectures for traffic distribution, optimizing bandwidth 

usage for content delivery and increasing spectral efficiencies through innovation. Continuous 

investments in research and realistic experimentation capabilities will both accelerate the innovation and 

improve the quality of the next generation technology and policy development. 
113 

QUESTIONS FOR THE RECORD 

THE HONORABLE LAMAR SMITH (R-TX) 

U.s. House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology 

Subcommittee on Technology and Innovation 

Avoiding the Spectrum Crunch: Growing the Wireless Economy through Innovation 

Wednesday, April 18, 2012 

According to the National Association of Broadcasters (NAB), existing mobile phones are already 

equipped to receive local radio broadcasts, and new phones can easily be modified. Such a 

capability might come in handy to receive information during emergencies when people are unable 

to get cellnlar phone coverage. The NAB has asked the Federal Emergency Management Agency 

and other Federal agencies to explore this proposal. What are your thoughts on this proposal? Do 

you believe that the cost and benefit to the public of equipping mobile phones with free broadcast 

radio has merit over other proposals? What hurdles exist to implementing such a capability in 

mobile phones? 

First, while mobile devices can be designed to receive emergency broadcast infonnation using over-thetop internet radio or use yet-to-be-implemented emergency cellular broadcast mode, functionality of this 

capability is dependent upon operational wireless infrastructure. This infrastructure can become 

inoperable during times of emergencies, rendering the cellular network capability unreliable. This 

happened for example during Hurricane Katrina. Furthennore, because wireless network infrastructure is 

extensively interconnected throughout the nation, an emergency event in one region can make wireless 

communications unavailable in multiple states. For this reason, embedding an FM radio capability in 

mobile phones provides a more reliable contingency plan for communicating emergency broadcasts. 

Second, in light of the spectrum crunch situation, enabling the FM radio feature in mobile phones can 

offload the FM radio traffic from the wireless network. This would also provide convenience and 

reachability both in urban and rural areas of the country, besides allowing integration of multiple devices. 

The cost of equipping mobile devices with the proper hardware to enable these FM communications is at 

best on the order of a few dollars per mobile. Some of the chipsets used by the leading smart phone 

vendors in the United States are already FM hardware capable, requiring minimal software additions to 

make it operable. Hence, there are no technological hurdles to enabling this FM radio channel capability 

on mobile phones. There may be some business related concerns because of possibly diminished returnon-investment to some of the wireless ecosystem stakeholders as wireless data consumption through 

mobile internet radio usage is reduced by direct FM usage using mobile handsets. 

In consideration of the ease and nominal costs to enable FM radio on mobile handsets, the relatively low 

overall impact to wireless service enablers, and the national importance in providing a reliable method of 

communicating emergency broadcast infonnation, the cost and benefit equation favor adding FM 

capability to the handsets. 

(115) 

Appendix 2 

ADDITIONAL MATERIAL FOR THE RECORD
116 

CARRIERS WARN OF CRISIS IN MOBILE SPECTRUM: REPRINT FROM THE New York 

Times 

Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum - NYTimes,com hltp:! /www.nytimes.comilO 12!04! IS/technology/mobiINarriers.w"r 

Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile 

Spectrum 

By BRIAN X. CHEN 

AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint say they need more radio spectrum, the governmentrationed slices of radio waves that carry phone calls and wireless data. 

The wireless carriers say that in the next few years they may not have enough of it to meet 

the exploding demands for mobile data. The result, they ominously warn, may be slower or 

spotty connections on smartphones and tablets. They imply in carefully couched language 

that, given the laws of supply and demand, the price of cellphone service will soar. 

It will affect "the services they're paying for because of the capacity issues," said Ed 

McFadden, Verizon's vice president for policy communications. "It potentially hinders our 

ability to meet consumer need." 

But is there really a crisis? Some scientists and engineers say the companies are playing a 

game that is more about protecting their businesses from competitors. 

Not even the inventor of the cell phone, Martin Cooper, is convinced that the wireless 

industlY faces a serious challenge that cannot be overcome with technology. Mr. Cooper, a 

former vice president of Motorola and chairman of Dyna L.L.C., an incubator for new 

companies, says that claims of a so-called spectrum crisis are largely exaggerated. 

"Somehow in the last 100 years, every time there is a problem of getting more spectrum, 

there is a technology that comes along that solves that problem," he said in an interview. Mr. 

Cooper also sits on the technical advisory committee of the Federal Communieations 

Commission, and he previously founded ArrayComm, a company that develops software for 

mobile antenna technologies, which with he said he is no longer associated. 

He explained that for carriers, buying spectrum is the easiest way for them to expand their 

network, but newer technologies, like improved antennas and techniques for offloading 

mobile traffic to Wi-Fi networks, could multiply the number of mobile devices that carriers 

can serve by at least tenfold. 

I of~ 4118.'2012 AM 
117 

Carrier.;; Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum ~ NYTimes.com http;!/www.nytimes-coml20J 2/041 18/technolog;y'imobile~carriers~\\,ar. ,. 

Everyone agrees that data-guzzling smartphones and tablets are selling fast, and the wireless 

industry needs to keep up. Cisco, the networking company, published a stml)' that shows 

mobile data usage more than doubled in 2011. 

Cell phones are radios and their calls are carried on the electromagnetic radio spectrum just 

like an FM radio signal or a walkie-talkie. The F.C.C. divides up the spectrum by bands of 

frequency, under the theory that no one wants signals on certain frequencies interfering 

with one another. 

The F.C.C. hands out licenses for each frequency band to entities like the military, TV 

stations, astronomy researchers and the phone carriers. Carriers now want some of the 

spectrum others have and are seeking approval from the F.C.C. to buy it at government 

auction or by buying licenses for it. 

Verizon, the largest carrier in the country, has been on the hunt for more. It has been trying 

to buy wireless spectrum licenses from a group of cable companies, including Time Warner 

and Comcast. These transactions are being opposed by T -Mobile USA and some other 

smaller players in the wireless industry. AT&T's ill-fated deal to buy T -Mobile came about in 

large part to get more spectrum. 

The F.C.C. believes that a combination of adding new spectrum and using new technologies 

will be needed to help the wireless industry evolve. "No single action is a silver bullet when 

it comes to meeting mobile capacity needs," said Neil Grace, an F.C.C. spokesman. "More 

efficient use of spectrum, new technologies, and unleashing new spectrum are all important 

parts of the mix." 

Arguing that the nation could run out of spectrum is like saying it was going to run out of a 

color, says David P. Reed, one of the original architect.s of the Internet and a former 

professor of computer science and engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. 

He says electromagnetic spectrum is not finite. 

Mr. Reed, who is now senior vice president at SAP Labs, a company that provides business 

software, explained that there are in fact newer technologies for transmitting and receiving 

signals so that they do not interfere with one another. That means separating the frequency 

bands would not be required in other words, everybody could share spectrum and not run 

out. 

The reason spectrum is treated as though it were finite is because it is still divided by 

frequencies - an outdated understanding of how radio technology works, he said. "I hate to 

even use the word 'spectrum,''' he said. "It's a 1920S understanding of how radio 

.1 01'4 4118/2012 11::U AM 
118 

Carriers Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum - NYTimes.com http:! !www.nytimes.com/20 11!04 118!technology/mobile-carriers-\var. .. 

communications work." 

Why, then, wouldn't carriers want to use these newer technologies that cause frequencies to 

not interfere? Because licensing spectrum is a zero-sum game. When a company gets the 

license for a band of radio waves, it has the exclusive rights to use it. Once a company owns 

it, competitors can't have it. 

Mr. Reed said the carriers haven't advocated for the newer technologies because they want 

to retain their monopolies. 

David S. Isenberg, who worked at AT&T Labs Research for 12 years before leaving to start an 

independent consulting firm, said the carriers have been deliberately slow with adopting 

more advanced radio technologies. He said that spectrum licenses come with obligations 

where carriers had to agree to serve the public interest, but those agreements have 

significantly weakened. "Their primary interest is not necessarily in making spectrum 

available, or in making wireless performance better," he said. "They want to make money." 

Mr. Cooper, the inventor of the mobile phone, says that rather than give the carriers a few 

more slices of spectrum, he suggests requiring them to use newer technologies that amplify 

their networks. 

He said that currently the technology with the most potential for carriers to use their 

networks more efficiently is the smart antenna. A traditional radio antenna on a cell phone 

tower spews energy out in all directions, but only a portion of it gets to the right phone, he 

explained. By contrast, the smart antenna would direct energy straight at the phones, and as 

a result, current spectrum would be put to more efficient use. 

Fourth-generation LTE networks are supposed to adopt smart antennas, but most carriers 

haven't started installing these yet, he said. These new antennas will also start shipping in 

phones in the next two years, which would make even better use of the network, he said. 

In interviews, representatives of AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile and Sprint said new technology 

would not be enough to solve all their problems, and they said they would evenhtally need 

access to more of the nation's radio waves. "They're all Band-Aids, and you have to provide 

additional spectrum to deal with the wound to deal with the large capacity of bandwidth 

demands," said Kathleen Ham, vice president for federal regulatory affairs ofT-Mobile USA. 

Mr. Cooper doesn't agree. 

"EvelY two and a half years, every spectrum crisis has gotten solved, and that's going to keep 

happening," Mr. Cooper said. "We already know today what the solutions are for the next 50 

301'4 -i/IS/2012 11:33 AM 
119 

Æ 

('llrricrs Warn of Crisis in Mobile Spectrum - NYTimes.com hnp:llwww.nytimes.com/20 12/041 18/techno!ogy!mobile-carr!cfs-war 

years." 

401'4 4118/201211 :3' AM