Genachowski Announces Creation of Spectrum Data Inventory

WASHINGTON, July 16, 2010-The Federal Communications Commission will increase its transparency by overseeing the creation of a spectrum inventory that includes users and license holders, agency Chairman Julius Genachowski told senators in a Thursday letter.

Last May, Senators John D. Rockefeller and John Kerry asked Genachowski and the FCC to create a comprehensive database of spectrum users and licensees. Genachowski’s Thursday reply said that the FCC is now taking an inventory of all spectrum users and licensees.

Genachowski also referred the senators to the Spectrum Dashboard (http://reboot.fcc.gov/reform/systems/spectrum-dashboard), which was launched with the National Broadband Plan in March. The website gives public access to information about spectrum bands, license-holder information, mapping tools, and data downloads. Since March, the site has gotten 125,000 hits, and increases transparency while providing important facts to consumers and businesses.

In addition to the Dashboard, the FCC has a Spectrum Task Force, which is a cross-agency working group tasked with coordinating spectrum activity. They are also responsible for seeing that the FCC is on-task to achieve spectrum policy goals and developing methods of measuring and utilizing spectrum.

Genachowski also wants to ensure that spectrum is sufficient to support growing mobile broadband applications. He said mobile broadband will spur economic growth and job creation as new networks and technologies emerge.

Genachowski said that all of these actions converge into one plan that will increase the transparency of spectrum allocation and utilization.

His pledge to establish a comprehensive spectrum data inventory has received support, including a statement from Commissioner Meredith Attwell Baker, who urged quick action on the inventory. She also pledged her support to coordinating spectrum efforts between governmental agencies and making sure that the inventory would be easily accessible to consumers and businesses.