[LINK] Initiative expands wireless coverage to 98% of Americans, reduces deficit by nearly $10 billion, invests in nationwide public safety network

[Marghanita da Cruz]

> Initiative expands wireless coverage to 98% of Americans, reduces deficit by nearly $10 billion, invests in nationwide public safety network
> 
> WASHINGTON?President Barack Obama will today detail his plan to win the future by catalyzing the buildout of high-speed wireless services that will enable businesses to grow faster, students to learn more, and public safety officials to access state-of-the-art, secure, nationwide, and interoperable mobile communications.
...
>     *  Nearly Double Wireless Spectrum Available for Mobile Broadband:  The President has set the goal of freeing up 500 MHz of spectrum for everything from smartphones to wireless broadband connectivity for laptops to new forms of machine-to-machine communication within a decade.  Critical to realizing this goal are ?voluntary incentive auctions? and more efficient use of government spectrum, estimated to raise $27.8 billion over the next decade.
>     * Provide At Least 98% of Americans with Access to 4G High-Speed Wireless:  Private investments are extending 4G to most of the Nation, but leaving some rural areas behind.  The President?s initiative would support a one-time investment of $5 billion and reform of the ?Universal Service Fund? to ensure millions more Americans will be able to use this technology.
>     * Catalyze Innovation Through a Wireless Innovation (WIN):  To spur innovation, $3 billion of the spectrum proceeds will go to research and development of emerging wireless technologies and applications.
>     * Develop and Deploy a Nationwide, Interoperable Wireless Network for Public Safety: The President?s Budget calls for a $10.7 billion commitment to support the development and deployment of a nationwide wireless broadband network to afford public safety agencies with far greater levels of effectiveness and interoperability.  An important element of this plan is the reallocation of the D Block for public safety and $500 million within the WIN Fund.
>     * Cut the Deficit By $9.6 Billion Over the Next Decade:  Nearly $10 billion of spectrum auction revenue will be devoted to deficit reduction.
> 
> Details of the President?s Initiative...
<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/02/10/president-obama-details-plan-win-future-through-expanded-wireless-access>

stephen at melbpc.org.au wrote:
> Looks like wireless R&D might soon get a boost ..
> 
> -
> 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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Marghanita da Cruz
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