[LINK] Wireless R&D
stephen at melbpc.org.au
stephen at melbpc.org.au
Sat Feb 12 02:58:45 AEDT 2011
Looks like wireless R&D might soon get a boost ..
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Obama lays out plan for wireless Internet expansion
By Jeff MasonPosted 2011/02/10 at 2:32 pm EST
<http://www.newsdaily.com/stories/tre7192fh-us-obama-broadband>
MARQUETTE, Michigan, Feb. 10, 2011 (Reuters) President Barack Obama on
Thursday outlined his plan to expand high speed wireless Internet service
to 98 percent of Americans ..
During a trip to Marquette, Michigan the president proposed investing $5
billion into a fund that will ensure fast wireless technology is made
available to rural areas across the country.
"This isn't just about a faster internet or being able to find a friend
on Facebook. It's about connecting every corner of America to the digital
age," Obama told an audience at Northern Michigan University.
He also called for $10.7 billion to be invested in developing a wireless
network to support public safety agencies, a proposal that will be in his
fiscal 2012 budget, due to be released on Monday.
During his State of the Union address Obama, a Democrat, called for
expanding high-speed wireless services to satisfy a voracious appetite of
consumers and businesses for the technology.
His administration has endorsed making 500 megahertz of wireless
airwaves, or spectrum, available over the next decade to meet the growing
demand for broadband services.
The Federal Communications Commission hopes to "repurpose" 120 megahertz
of spectrum through incentive auctions where television broadcasters
would voluntarily give up spectrum in exchange for a portion of the
auction proceeds.
$27.8 BILLION TO BE RAISED
"By selling to private companies the rights to these airwaves, we won't
just encourage private investment and expand wireless access; we'll
actually bring in revenues that lower our deficits," Obama said.
The White House said it expects those auctions, and more efficient use of
government spectrum, to raise $27.8 billion over the next decade. That
figure is an estimate, however, and could end up lower or higher
depending on the success of the auctioning process.
Congress must pass legislation to give the FCC the authority to conduct
the incentive auctions. There could be resistance from lawmakers if they
fear the auctions could apply undue pressure to broadcasters in their
districts to give up spectrum.
In addition to the fund to help rural areas, Obama proposes putting $3
billion from those proceeds toward "research and development of emerging
wireless technologies and applications," the White House said in a
statement ahead of the president's trip.
Obama's fiscal 2012 budget will focus on deficit curbs while investing in
areas such as Internet broadband that the president believes are crucial
for boosting U.S. competitiveness.
(Additional reporting by Jasmin Melvin; Editing by Xavier Briand)
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