"two U.S. senators are seeking a comprehensive inventory of the government's spectrum holdings in order assess the best use of the U.S. airwaves. In legislation introduced March 19, Senators John Kerry (D-Mass.) and Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), the FCC and the NTIA (National Telecommunications and Information Administration would have six months to report on the use of all spectrum bands between 300 MHz and 3.5 GHz.
"Our public airwaves belong to the American people, and we need to make certain we are putting them to good use in the best interests of those citizens," Kerry said in a statement. "We need to make sure we're making as much of it available to innovators and consumers as possible."
Kerry pointed to last year's 700 MHz spectrum auction and the FCC's ruling that the interference buffer zones between television channels known as white spaces could be used to deliver wireless broadband and other advanced media services as examples of good uses of the public spectrum.
The auction brought in almost $20 billion to the public coffers with Verizon claiming the lion's share of the most prized spectrum. Verizon Wireless' new prime airwaves are considered particularly well-suited for broadband because the signal properties can travel great distances and penetrate mountains, buildings and walls. The FCC also placed conditions on the sale of the spectrum, requiring the winning bidder to build an open network to which users can connect any legal device and run the software of their choice.
"These two initiatives are evidence of how valuable spectrum is and how it serves as fertile grounds for innovation," Kerry said."
http://www.eweek.com/c/a/Mobile-and-Wireless/Lawmakers-Call-for-US-Spectrum-Inventory-553492/It looks like the chair of the communications subcommittee of teh Commerce committee is taking the first step in making broadband wireless available.
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