Gotta like this move:
WASHINGTON — US President Barack Obama moved on Monday to free up more wireless communications spectrum to cope with the explosion in the use of mobile devices.
Obama signed a presidential memorandum that would make 500 megahertz of federal government and commercial wireless spectrum available for commercial use over the next 10 years, the White House said.
“This effort will nearly double the amount of commercial spectrum currently available for everything from smartphones to wireless broadband connectivity for laptops to new forms of ‘machine-to-machine’ communication,” it said.
The move sets the stage for a potential clash with broadcast television stations which currently own the rights to some of the wireless spectrum which is to be auctioned off.
The White House said the auction could potentially raise “tens of billions of dollars” which would be invested in “public safety, additional job-creating infrastructure investments and deficit reduction.”“The president’s plan will nearly double the amount of commercial spectrum available to unleash the innovative potential of wireless broadband,” said Lawrence Summers, director of the National Economic Council.
This will raise billions and make our lives more convenient, and it didn’t even require a single Republican vote. Bravo.
