While we have a fierce net neutrality debate within the wireless telecom and technology industries, the one thing we all agree on is that America’s appetite for mobile broadband services is increasing at a rapid pace. At CTIA, we like to call it the “virtuous cycle” where the multiple players within our ecosystem (such as a device manufacturer or network provider or app developer) are constantly investing, innovating, and competing in order to keep up with consumer demand. 

But, all of the cool apps, faster speeds, new devices and other innovations from the wireless industry are in jeopardy unless we get more spectrum and improve the tower siting process. 

We’ve heard a lot about the brewing spectrum crisis, but why is tower siting just as important? To expand their service offerings and meet consumer demand for “always-on” broadband, wireless carriers need to be able to build out their networks, which involves constructing new towers or adding new equipment to already existing structures.

Today, there is no timeframe for local zoning authorities to act on tower siting applications. CTIA surveyed our members and found that they collectively had more than 3,300 wireless siting applications pending before local jurisdictions. Of those, approximately nearly a quarter have been in queue for more than a year, and more than 180 such applications have been awaiting final action for more than 3 years. That’s just silly in a country that wants to expand broadband access and put people to work.

To remedy this problem, the industry is asking for a common-sense, reasonable solution that would establish 45 and 75 day “shot clocks” for zoning authorities to act on tower siting applications. You can read our petition with the FCC on the matter here.

During FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s keynote remarks earlier this month at International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment 2009®, he pledged his support and commitment for getting the industry more spectrum and a tower siting shot clock. These are big – and complementary – steps that will help ensure that the U.S. maintains its world leadership in wireless.

Last week, U.S. Representatives Jay Inslee (D-WA) and George Radanovich (R-CA), Co-Chairs of the House Wireless Caucus, sent a letter  to Chairman Genachowski commending his commitment to setting a shot-clock on tower siting and calling on the Commission to act as quickly as possible on this petition. We applaud Representatives Inslee and Radanovich for staking out this pro-broadband, pro-investment, pro-jobs position, and we look forward to working with them and Chairman Genachowksi to get it done.  

It’s been a busy time for us at CTIA this week with FCC filing deadlines, Hill activities, Distracted Driving Summit and of course, our International CTIA WIRELESS I.T. & Entertainment show next week.

But on Tuesday, we submitted a very important ex parte filing  to the FCC requesting more spectrum because, to put it simply, it is the backbone of our industry. 

It’s not something that most people think about, but it’s what allows the wireless industry to create and develop the great things that you and I take for granted everyday. As Steve said in his statement about the filing, spectrum drives the innovation and competition.

In our filing, this was the first time we had suggested a specific amount of spectrum to be identified and allocated. We said that the goal should be at least 800 MHz of additional spectrum over the next six years. We also requested policymakers to meet short-term spectrum needs by pairing and allocating readily-available spectrum.
 
To read the filing, please click here.

Here are a few of the media stories on our filing:

• mobihealthnews, CTIA to FCC: More spectrum for mHealth
• WIRED, Wireless group tells FCC: Show us the spectrum
• Broadcasting & Cable, CTIA wants more spectrum
• WirelessWeek, CTIA Petitions FCC for More Spectrum
• mocoNews.net, CTIA To FCC: Without More Wireless Spectrum, ‘Demand May Outpace Supply’
  

There has been a lot of media coverage on the wireless industry recently, but there's a story that few are talking about which is vital for all of us. It's spectrum -- or the backbone of the industry. 

And unless we get more spectrum, we are facing a crisis. All of the apps, speed, devices and other innovations from the wireless industry are in jeopardy unless we get more spectrum. 

But what is spectrum? It's defined simply as frequencies that are designated for specific uses, such as personal communications services and public safety.

A few weeks ago, GigaOM's Stacey Higginbotham wrote a great story outlining the issue and what's at stake. We also developed a very simple graphic that clearly shows the integral role spectrum plays in wireless -- we call it the "virtuous cycle."

What this diagram shows is that as long as more spectrum is available, the industry will continue to invest in networks to handle more capacity, device manufacturers will continue to develop new capabilities for handsets and content developers will continue to create new apps and content – which ultimately benefits the consumers who continue to want and expect more from their mobile devices. This is a cycle that never ends, BUT only if spectrum is made available.

So what is the industry asking? We are asking for:

1. Congress to pass the bipartisan Senate (S. 649) and House (HR 3125) Radio Spectrum
     Inventory Act which would tell us who's using what and where there's spectrum available.

2.  Tower siting policy which would establish a "shot clock" -- 45 days for collocation (meaning
      where towers already exist) and 75 days for other facilities -- for zoning authorities to respond to
      applications. Right now, there is no "shot clock." 

• Towers are vital to the industry to expand coverage for consumers. 
• Of the 3,300 tower and antenna applications pending in the spring of 2008 for 7 wireless carriers, 760 were pending for more than 1 year.
• 180 were pending for more than 3 years.
• 135 of the 180 applications pending for more than 3 years are collocation applications where towers have already been approved.

Unless the U.S. gets more spectrum, there will not be enough bandwidth to continue to provide the apps, speed, devices and other innovations from the wireless industry that we all enjoy and have come to expect.

The FCC is interested in learning more about the wireless industry's competitiveness, innovation, and billing practices. CTIA President & CEO Steve Largent discusses the association's eagerness to share the great wireless story with the Commission, and emphasizes the need for additional spectrum to satisfy the growing consumer demand for wireless data services. To learn more watch this segment from our September installment of our Wonder of Wireless webcast, and take a few moments to see what else we have to offer in our September WOW.

Over the last few weeks, I've been talking with reporters and bloggers about the new FCC and its focus on the wireless industry. As you've probably read, we are looking forward to educating the FCC (and policymakers) on the facts about the industry. We have a great story and we look forward to the opportunity to share this information with them.
 
Since the agenda for the August 27th meeting has been released, many of those interviews have touched on the three NOIs (notice of inquiry). Specifically, there are two that are focused on the wireless industry – one on innovation and investment and the other on competition. The third is focused on truth-in-billing across numerous industries, including wireless.
 
Here are a few of the stories that have been published based on these interviews:

• 8/24 - ComputerWorld -- Wireless industry defends itself against mounting criticism
• 8/21 - CNET -- FCC takes a closer look at wireless industry
• 8/21 - Forbes -- Telecom facing more active FCC
• 8/17 - GigaOM -- For better mobile broadband, the U.S. needs more spectrum
  

This morning we filed an ex parte with the FCC to highlight the significant contributions the wireless industry is making to aid the revitalization of our short and long-term economic health.

President Barack Obama has made it very clear that broadband is vital for the U.S. In a Washington Post column on February 5, 2009, President Obama said “now is the time to create jobs that remake America for the 21st century by rebuilding aging roads, bridges and levees; designing a smart electrical grid; and connecting every corner of the country to the information superhighway.”

Indeed, as our nation struggles in a fiercely competitive global marketplace to revitalize once unchallenged industries, mobile broadband services bring opportunities, increased productivity and represent a beacon on the path toward renewed economic prosperity.

Highlights of the filing are:

• In 2007, U.S. wireless services delivered nearly $100 billion in “value added” contributions to the U.S. Gross Domestic Product (“GDP”).
• Going forward, estimates place productivity gains from wireless broadband services at almost $860 billion between 2005 and 2016.

Jobs/Compensation:

• Economic contributions of wireless services have grown significantly faster than the rest of the U.S. economy, averaging over 16% growth vs. less than 3% for the remainder of the economy.
• Wireless jobs command compensation that is more than 50% higher than the national average of other production workers.
• Wireless carriers directly employ more than 268,000 people, a number that has grown more than 6% year-over-year for the last four years.
• Beyond direct carrier employment, more than 2.4 million American jobs are either directly or indirectly dependent on the U.S. wireless industry.

Equipment/Network Investment:

• Total wireless expenditures on structures and equipment from 1998-2007 amounted to more than $217 billion.
• Carriers responding to CTIA’s Semi-Annual Survey reported an average combined investment of more than $22.8 billion per year to upgrade their networks from 2001 through 2008.
• As of December 2008, wireless carriers have deployed over 240,000 cell sites across the country.
• Clearly, wireless voice and broadband services are major contributors to the U.S. economy through the massive capital investments of wireless providers, by creating high-paying, skilled jobs across the country and with billions of dollars of direct and indirect benefits flowing from the innovative wireless services and applications consumers demand.

 To view the filing, please click here  .

This afternoon, the Senate Commerce Committee approved the Radio Spectrum Inventory Act (S. 649), a bill sponsored by Senators John Kerry (D-MA) and Olympia Snowe (R-ME). I issued the following statement in response to the Committee's action:  

"I applaud Senators Kerry and Snowe for securing Committee approval of the Radio Spectrum Inventory Act. As the wireless industry continues to invest to meet consumers' increasing demand for broadband services, we appreciate Senator Kerry and Snowe's commitment to work with stakeholders to fashion a bill that identifies where the next allocation of spectrum for commercial use will come from. We look forward to working with Senators Kerry and Snowe, Chairman Rockefeller and their colleagues in the House to enact inventory legislation this year." 

Last night, Representatives Jay Inslee (WA-01), Fred Upton (MI-06) and Rick Boucher (VA-09) introduced Spectrum Relocation Improvement Act of 2009 (H.R. 3019), which would update the spectrum relocation process. This morning, I issued the following statement in response to the introduction of the House bill:

          "We look forward to working with Congressmen Inslee, Upton and Boucher on this matter.  
          With the lessons learned from the AWS-1 auction, we believe this is a good time to review the
          process to see where improvements can be made."