FYI --- New America Foundation <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> Subject: MEDIA BACKGROUNDER: Katrina Demonstrates > Failure of Current U.S. Spectrum Policy > Date: Fri, 9 Sep 2005 12:20:52 -0400 > From: "New America Foundation" > <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > MEDIA BACKGROUNDER > > > > Contact: Michael Calabrese, (202) 986-2700 > (x327), > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > > J.H. Snider, (202) 986-2700 > (x226), > [EMAIL PROTECTED] > > > > KATRINA DEMONSTRATES FAILURE OF CURRENT U.S. > SPECTRUM POLICY > > > > (WASHINGTON--September 9, 2005) In recent days the > press has extensively > covered the telecommunications breakdown in New > Orleans and the attempts > of telephone, cable, and broadcast companies to > reinstate service and > help disaster victims. What has not been covered as > extensively in the > media is the lack of communications at dozens of > rural Louisiana > shelters and the efforts of Wireless Internet > Service Providers (WISPs), > which use unlicensed spectrum, to address this > problem. > > > > Earlier this week, such stories were featured at a > Capitol Hill forum > sponsored by the New America Foundation and the > Congressional Future of > American Media Caucus. Rep. Diane Watson, D-CA, > bemoaned the lack of > telecommunications services after the storm and said > that it pointed "to > the serious failure and the lack of preparedness in > our nation's > telecommunications policy." New America Foundation > Vice President > Michael Calabrese added, "It is simply not > affordable anytime soon to be > stringing fiber lines to rural areas, but wireless > networks can provide > broadband communications services very quickly and > inexpensively." > > > > As New Orleans is being evacuated, thousands of > evacuees are streaming > out into the countryside where churches and > communities have set up > shelters to take care of them. Unfortunately, many > of these shelters > lack telecommunications service. Responding to this > need, dozens of > rural WISPs have poured into rural Louisiana to help > out. > > > > As of midday Thursday, WISPs were providing service > to more than 1,100 > evacuees at the following shelters: Mangham Baptist > (Mangham, LA), Delhi > Civic Center (Delhi, LA), Baskin First Baptist > (Baskin, LA), Grace > Fellowship (Baskin, LA), River of Life Church > (Winnsboro, LA), Tallulah > Community Center (Tallulah, LA), and Parkview > Baptist (Richmond, LA). > The following shelters were also expected to get > service by the end of > the day: King's Camp (Mer Rouge, LA), Richland > Baptist Encampment (Alto, > LA), Antioch Baptist (Rayville, LA), and Archibald > Church of God > (Archibald, LA). > > > > Mac Dearman, owner of Maximum Access, a > Louisiana-based WISP organizing > the WISP relief effort, reports: "All the shelters > had to offer was food > and shelter, but no communications of any kind. We > brought in PCs, > voice-over-IP phones, and the wireless broadband > links to make them > useful. You wouldn't believe how many hugs we got." > How were they > used? Mostly for people to connect with relatives. > At one shelter that > Dearman personally helped set up, more than a dozen > families were > connected. The image he remembers is a lady hugging > him and nearly > crying: "God bless you; we've been worried about my > brother; and we > found him." Jim Patient, owner of Jeffco, another > WISP, was working on > setting up communications at King's Camp to handle > more than 80 mentally > handicapped children evacuees. King's Camp had more > than 30 staff but > no communications of any kind. > > > > As Congress moves digital TV legislation to free up > spectrum for > broadband telecommunications, the lack of > telecommunications services in > the wake of Katrina has moved front and center. > Much of the freed up > broadcast spectrum could be converted to broadband > use. > > > > The broadcast industry has been fighting tooth and > nail to prevent this > from happening in a timely fashion. Most press > attention has focused on > the industry's effort to delay giving back the > channels Congress loaned > to transition digital TV. Less well known is that > the industry has also > been fighting to keep as many as possible of the > unused TV channels > ("guard bands" between the currently used channels) > for their own future > use. For example, a video being distributed on > Capitol Hill > (www.mstv.org/static.html > <file:///C:\Documents%20and%20Settings\lakshmipathyn\Local%20Settings\Te > mporary%20Internet%20Files\OLK12\www.mstv.org\static.html> > ) argues that > complete havoc will be created if unlicensed > broadband devices are > allowed in the unused TV channels. > > > > The FCC has initiated a rulemaking (Docket 04-186) > to require these > channels to be opened up for unlicensed broadband > use. The broadcasters > are now lobbying Congress to kill this rulemaking. > Said Ed Thomas, > former FCC Chief Engineer responsible for the FCC's > rulemaking, "I > strongly urge Congress to direct the Commission as > the expert government > agency to bring this proceeding to a conclusion. A > golden opportunity > exists to extend the social and economic benefits of > broadband to all > Americans. I urge Congress and the FCC not to be > persuaded by the > invalid self-serving claims of a few." Dearman > confirmed that the low > frequency spectrum occupied by the broadcasters > would make his job > providing rural broadband service much easer. > "There is a TV station 40 > miles to my West and 90 miles to my East. With this > unused spectrum, we > would have been able to reach a lot more shelters." > > > > At Tuesday's event, New America Foundation Senior > Research Fellow, J.H. > Snider released a fact sheet responding to the > broadcast industry's > claims to Congress. See: > http://www.newamerica.net/Download_Docs/pdfs/Doc_File_2550_1.pdf > > > > > The written statement of Ed Thomas, former FCC Chief > Engineer, can be > found at: > http://www.newamerica.net/Download_Docs/pdfs/Doc_File_2547_1.pdf > > > > > Mac Dearman, CEO of Maximum Access, LLC, located in > Richland Parrish, > Louisiana, can be reached at 318/728-8600. > > > > > > # # # > > > > -- NYCwireless - http://www.nycwireless.net/ Un/Subscribe: http://lists.nycwireless.net/mailman/listinfo/nycwireless/ Archives: http://lists.nycwireless.net/pipermail/nycwireless/
