Government Command and Control of the Spectrum - The Solution

Government Command and Control of the Spectrum - The Solution
Historically, the Commission has had limited flexibility via command and control regulatory restrictions on
which services licensees could provide and who could provide them. Any spectrum users who wanted to
change the power of their transmitter, the nature of their service, or the size of an antenna had to come to
the Commission to ask for permission, wait the corresponding period of time, and only then, if relief was
granted, modify the service. Today's marketplace demands that the FCC provide license holders with
greater flexibility to respond to consumer desires, market realities, and national needs without first having
to ask for the FCC's permission. License holders should be granted the maximum flexibility to use, or
allow others to use, the spectrum, within technical constraints, to provide any services demanded by the
public. With this flexibility, service providers can be expected to move spectrum quickly to its highest and
best use.