#tprc44

To sum it all up, I agree with OMB[the Office of Management and Budget]’s assessment that the absence of information on costs and benefits from independent agencies “is a continued obstacle to transparency” that can “have adverse effects on public policy” and “lead to inferior decisions.” My ongoing push for CBA[cost-benefit analysis]in FCC items, like my efforts for process reforms, is not intended to diminish the ability of the agency to accomplish the agenda set forth by its Chairman.  I fully acknowledge and accept that the Commission will still adopt policies that I may not agree with.  But if it does so after a full and fair consideration of the costs and benefits, the policies are likely to be better tailored to solve the problem at hand and less burdensome to companies and consumers.  That’s still an improvement and, more importantly, it is a necessary and prudent thing for an agency to do.

Spectrum is the range of electromagnetic radio frequencies used to transmit sound, data, and video across the country. It is what carries voice between cell phones, television shows from broadcasters to your TV, and online information from one computer to the next, wirelessly. The FCC and the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) share responsibility for managing the spectrum. NTIA manages spectrum used by the Federal government (e.g., military, NASA) and the FCC is responsible for spectrum used by others, including individuals (e.g., garage door openers and wireless Internet connections), commercial operators (e.g., radio and television broadcasters, mobile phone providers), and public safety and health officials (e.g., police and emergency medical technicians). Frequency bands are reserved for different uses. For example, 88 – 108 MHz is used to broadcast FM radio to your car. Whereas, one of the groups of frequency bands used for cell phones is 824-849 MHz and 869-894 MHz. Because there is a finite amount of spectrum and a growing demand for it, effectively managing the available spectrum is an important priority for the FCC. With the FCC Spectrum Dashboard, the public can now learn more about spectrum licenses across the country and areas where spectrum is currently available.