In a filing Tuesday to the FCC, the wireless industry asked the agency to free up and auction off more spectrum, citing the growing popularity of smartphones and wireless cards essentially endorsing the view of even its harshest critics that that there may not be enough waves in the air to meet future demand.
“There is a looming spectrum crisis for U.S. consumers and businesses, which are rapidly embracing and increasingly dependent on this wherever, whenever access," the CTIA's top lobbyist, Chris Guttman-McCabe wrote in the ex-parte filing. “Without swift and bold action by U.S. policymakers to free up a critical national resource our nations airwaves consumers and businesses in this country will find themselves unable to reap the full benefits of the mobile broadband age."
The wireless industry argues that it needs more spectrum to handle data-chugging smartphone users, data card users and e-book readers hungry to download the latest issue of the New Yorker. The CTIA says the feds need to open up another 800 MHz of spectrum by 2015, which would almost treble the 410 MHz currently allocated.
The CTIA also asked the feds to immediately open up 50 MHz for commercial wireless services immediately.
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