A recent report says that the federal government is holding too much spectrum that should be made available via auctions to help close the digital divide.
In its study, Accenture identified spectrum in three key bands of 7/8 GHz (7.125-8.4 GHz), 4 GHz (4.4-4.94 GHz), and 3 GHz (3.1-3.45 GHz). The firm says those bands offer large, continuous blocks of spectrum and strong propagation characteristics, critical components for robust 5G use.
Accenture found that government users have 12 times the amount of mid-band spectrum that licensed users hold in this key 3-8.4 GHz range. Accenture reports that this imbalance “could hinder the ability of wireless providers to keep up with projected growth and increased demand.”
CTIA, which commissioned the study, notes that growth in mobile data traffic doubled in the past year, and U.S. networks support more data traffic today than from 2010 to 2017 combined. This has been largely fueled by the growth of 5G and its faster connections. The vast majority of Americans — 315 million — now have access to 5G, and one-third of Americans possess an active 5G device. The 85 million 5G devices owned by Americans in 2021 represent a more than 500 percent jump from 2020.
Spectrum auctions are the best way to distribute the bandwidth to the greatest benefit of taxpayers by having private providers make the highest bid to earn the right to use the spectrum. But the federal bureaucracy has often fought to keep the spectrum it owns, delaying efforts to expand wireless internet infrastructure.
In recent years, the Federal Communications Commission has fought other federal agencies such as the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, Department of Defense, Department of Transportation and the Federal Aviation Administration over their concerns on such topics as weather-monitoring equipment, airplane safety and car vehicle safety. The concerns of the other agencies have largely proven unfounded and have only served to delay closing the digital divide.
Accenture notes that the United States ranks 13th among 15 countries examined in the availability of lower mid-band spectrum for commercial use. This band has largely been used to support the development of 5G due to its higher capacity that helps to support the fifth generation’s needed technology standards.
Accenture proposes in the study that enough government-held spectrum be auctioned off so that the amount held would drop to 1.3 times that held by licensed users.
The study warns that “if the relative imbalances in spectrum allocation are not addressed with more licensed spectrum made available to commercial wireless providers, (then) consumers, businesses and public services will bear the burden of the expected network strain — through diminished quality and availability of services, and an inability to deliver on the full promise of 5G use cases, which are poised to transform the economy and help tackle climate change.”
As the Accenture report shows, the government needs to loosen its grip on the spectrum that will help meet the needs of continued 5G growth. A continued pipeline of spectrum auctions will ensure that providers can meet the needs of American consumers.
Deploying more spectrum for 5G will benefit consumers with faster speeds and lessen the need for taxpayers to fund financially questionable government-owned (taxpayer-funded) broadband networks.
