Proposing Organization:

Media Access Project

Primary Investigator:

Michael Calabrese, New America Foundation

Bounty collected: $7,500

Michael Calabrese of the New America Foundation has partnered with the Media Access Project (MAP) to develop a comprehensive account of federal radio spectrum holdings, as a basis for changing federal policy regarding spectrum allocation.  MAP proposed the project as a means of supporting its efforts  to prevent holders of scarce or critical spectrum resources from becoming “gatekeepers” over speech.  In the past, private industry has focused on clearing federal bands for auction, but this has met with significant resistance from federal agencies.  Industry has also made some effort to require federal users to share their bands on an unlicensed basis.  Here, too, federal agencies have resisted, and Congress has less incentive to support this sharing because it does not bring direct, visible revenue to the Treasury in the same manner as auctions. 

MAP proposes a third alternative: that the Federal government make available unused spectrum on an interruptible, non-discriminatory basis.  Based on an examination of the extent of federal spectrum holdings that could reasonably be subject to a wholesale requirement, MAP will investigate the potential impact on the spectrum market if the federal government decided to lease the spectrum on an interruptible basis.  This impact will be determined by federal revenue, the price impact on spectrum services, and other measures of public welfare.  MAP also proposes to investigate how real-time dynamic auctions, rather than negotiated lease agreements may affect the determined impact.  This work will be conducted in collaboration with Michael Calabrese and Wireless Future program at the New America Foundation, which responded to the Research Bounty call.