TMCnet News
FCC Commissioner Gives Wireless Technology BriefingBy TED GLANZER
TMCnet Communications and Broadband Columnist
Hurricane Katrina demonstrated the importance of wireless communications for first responders; local, state and federal officials; and for citizens affected by the disaster, FCC Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein said Thursday in a technology briefing to a wireless trade organization in Washington, D.C.
A record of Adelstein’s briefing is available on the FCC’s home page. Speaking before members of 3G Americas in Washington D.C., Adelstein said that Hurricane Katrina “served as a brutal reminder of the critical importance of having crisis management plans in place. As a nation, we can never let our guard down since we never know when or where the next disaster will strike.”
In addition, Adelstein commented on making more spectrum available to accommodate more advanced wireless service in the future.
“[I]t has been very gratifying to wok on a number of proceedings since I started at the Commission dealing with the auction of 90 MHz of new spectrum for the Advanced Wireless Service,” Adelstein said.
Adelstein noted that he has pushed for clearing the backlog of tower site applications that were accumulating at the Commission. The backlog is attributable to a lack of response to consultation by affected Indian tribes and native Hawaiian organizations.
“Resolution of this issue was long overdue . . . . But I am pleased that we were able to put in place a solution that immediately cleared the enormous backlog of tower siting requests,” Adelstein said. “The Commission needs to encourage wireless infrastructure deployment – not unnecessarily stand in its way.”
-----
Ted Glanzer is assistant editor for TMCnet. For more articles by Ted Glanzer, please visit:
|