Book Description

A hearing was held on Senate Bill 335, the Emerging Telecommunications Technologies Act of 1993, a bill that requires the federal government to transfer 200 megahertz of spectrum to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for new technologies. Integral to this measure, a bipartisan effort, is a provision that will allow the FCC to use competitive bidding on a trial basis to assign licenses for use of up to 30 megahertz of the spectrum. The shortage of available spectrum and the potential of new spectrum-based technologies are the catalysts for this bill. Opening statements were presented by Senators Burns, Gorton, Hollings, Inouye, and McCain. The following witnesses addressed the issues involved in the use of the spectrum and auctioning its use: (1) Robert S. Foosaner, of Fleet Call, Inc.; (2) Edward O. Fritts, of the National Association of Broadcasters; (3) Jay Kitchen, of the National Association of Business and Educational Radio; (4) Phillip C. Nelson, of the Rural Telephone Coalition; (5) Wayne Perry, of McCaw Cellular Communications, Inc.; and (6) Thomas P. Stanley, of the FCC. An appendix contains prepared statements from other associations and interested individuals. (SLD)