Arlington, Va. — The Consumer Electronics Association (CEA) said it supports moves to increase federal spectrum spending, in comments filed in response to the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy’s request for information on providing greater incentives for federal agencies to relinquish spectrum.
Gary Shapiro, president and CEO of CEA, said in the statement, “Spectrum fuels innovation. As Americans use more and more smart, connected devices, we must have enough spectrum for them to communicate with their surroundings and with each other. Unfortunately, our nation is running out of wireless spectrum. We have to find new ways to meet the ever-growing demand for broadband services and applications. Making federal spectrum available for commercial use is critical to addressing our nation’s spectrum needs.”
Shapiro added, “CEA applauds the White House for seeking ways to meet this objective. The Science and Technology Policy Institute report is an important step toward allowing federal agencies to develop incentive mechanisms to share or relinquish spectrum, while still meeting the agencies’ mission-critical communications needs.”
