I’m a panelist in this session.

I begin by saying: The Titanic couldn’t get help because its signals were interefered with. So the government regulated frequency. But it turns out that interference is a myth. In fact, “interference” happens because our devices aren’t (weren’t) smart enough to discriminate signals well. From the metaphor of interference comes the idea that spectrum is something we consume, that it’s scarce and that it’s property.

But we should be learning that assigning frequencies — literally assigning colors — is based on metaphoprs from the grwoth of spread spectrum. the information revolution (spectrum is transmitting information that is not a hard-edged good), the Net and the development of software-defined radios.

If we get out of the metaphor, we could end up with a world in which we all have equal access to unlimited bandwidth.

Cory Doctorow of the EFF (you’re a member, right?) is up now. He says: More speakers is more speech. The FCC believes, on the other hand, that if you have too many speakers, you have chaos and less speech. But, no, less control is more speech.

Eric Blossom plans on shipping software-defined radios for $65.

Cory says the government is now looking into regulating all digital-to-analog converters and all analog-to-digital converters in order to prevent unauthorized use. The third piece, he says, is the mandate that computers support “trusted computing” that only runs software “signed by a bureaucrat.” But we (the EFF) has always said that code is a form of speech.

Jim Snider of the New America Foundation says the politicians won’t unlicense spectrum because it is the most value “resource” in the information economy. Only 1% of spectrum under 2gH is unlicensed.

The commons can be done in different ways, Jim says: XG from DARPA allows the “opportunistic use” of spectrum. You can dedicate frequencies for open use. Or you could do unerlays, such as ultrawide band, but the incumbents hate this. (A source he mentions: www.spectrumpolicy.org.)

Q: Should the legislature get involved?

Jim: It’s too involved. It’s owned by the broadcasters. But there’s great enthusiasm at the FCC for granting more unlicensed spectrum.

Cory: Legislators throw hard questions over the wall to administrative agencies like the FCC which are supposed to be rendering only factual opinions.

[Sorry, but i got involved in the conversation and can’t simultaneously blog…]

Categories: Uncategorized dw