This is a new request! This is not the same one as last time!
PLEASE READ THIS RIGHT NOW
**If you are on other lists regarding unlicensed broadband then please
forward this message to every list you know of so we get 100% of this
industry to do this PLEASE!**
I recently sent you an e-mail asking you to submit comments to the FCC
on the 04-186 - Unlicensed Operation in the TV Broadcast Bands. Over one
hundred of you responded! That was step one. Now we NEED to tell
CONGRESS that we need this spectrum so we can force the FCC to review
your comments!!!! This will take about 10 minutes of your time and we
can't drop the ball now -- this is a VERY RARE opportunity for our
industry.
Here’s the problem. This proceeding, as you all can see, is a HUGE
opportunity for our industry. BUT, the FCC Chairman may never complete
the job unless he gets a push from Congress. Congress has a chance next
week to do exactly that. We need to make sure they do.
We're working with Free Press, the New America Foundation, Consumers
Union and other organizations who are lobbying the Congress to open this
spectrum to unlicensed use. Below I've pasted some instructions. But if
you need help with the call or more information about how to speak with
your Senate staff, you can call Frannie Wellings at Free Press at
202-265-1490 x 21. She is very nice and wants us to win this. Call her
for any assistance you may need.
Here is what you can do to help:
1) Email Frannie with your name/company name, city and state served. Her
email address is [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. Just do this right now. She will add
your information to the letter located further down the email here. It
will go to Congressional committee members who are working on what to do
with the digital television transition. This letter should be signed by
every WISP in the country. I MEAN EVERY LAST ONE OF YOU NO MATTER WHAT
YOU THINK OR WHO YOU ARE AFFILIATED WITH! Once again, if you would like
to add your name/company/city and state served to the letter, send an
e-mail to Frannie Wellings at Free Press. Her address is
[EMAIL PROTECTED] <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. If you want to
get good spectrum you better just do it right now. DO NOT WAIT TILL
TOMORROW. DO IT RIGHT NOW! You can read the contents of the letter
inline below.
2) If you are in one of the following states, CALL YOUR SENATOR: This is
very important. Your Senator listed below sits on the Committee that can
make this all happen. This is not just a small thing guys. Senators
really do listen to what their constituents say. If you tell them you
need this spectrum this will impact their vote. We need you ALL to do this.
- Below, next to your state/senator, is the name of the staff member you
need to speak with and their phone number.
- If you are not in one of the states below and you want to call your
Senator anyway to express support for this, contact Frannie and she will
give you the name and phone number of the person to call. YOU NEED TO
CALL EVEN IF YOUR STATE IS NOT LISTED.
-Talking points you can use are included inline below. Tell them you are
a WISP in their state and you need low-frequency unlicensed spectrum to
provide Internet access to their constituents. Tell them why you need
those TV channels for broadband, just as you did in your comments to the
FCC. Give them good reasons and be kind and not argumentative. They
might be trying to help you. Tell them why you need the channels. You
all managed to produce so many great comments to the FCC, now it's time
to tell Congress.
3) Let us know that you've called: When you're done, send a note to
Frannie Wellings at Free Press at [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> and let us know here that you've called
and what the staff member said in return. We need to figure out how they
will vote. This is very important. Ask them for their vote supporting
this effort and let us all know what they said.
---
*If Your State Is:* *Your Senator Is:* *You Should Call Staff Member:*
*At #:*
Alaska Ted Stevens (R-AK) Harry Wingo, Christine kurth 202-224-3004
Arkansas Mark Pryor (D-AR) Terri Glaze 202-224-2353
Arizona John McCain (R-AZ) Lee Carosi 202-224-2235
California Barbara Boxer (D-CA) Alex Hoehn-Saric 202-224-3553
Florida Bill Nelson (D-FL) Mike Sozan 202-224-5274
Hawaii Daniel Inouye (D-HI) James Assey, Rachel Welch 202-224-3934
Louisiana David Vitter (R-LA) Evelyn Fortier 202-224-4623
Maine Olympia Snowe (R-ME) Kristin Smith 202-224-5344
Massachusetts John Kerry (D-MA) Barry LaSala 202-224-2742
Mississippi Trent Lott (R-MS) Beth Spivey 202-224-6253
Montana Conrad Burns (R-MT) Steve Miller 202-224-2644
Nebraska Ben Nelson (D-NE) Angela Stroschein 202-224-6551
New Jersey Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ) Doug Mehan 202-224-3224
North Dakota Byron Dorgan (D-ND) Daphna Peled 202-224-2551
Oregon Gordon Smith (R-OR) Keith Murphy 202-224-3753
Nevada John Ensign (R-NV) Michael Sullivan 202-224-6244
New Hampshire John Sununu (R-NH) Mike O'Rielly 202-224-2841
South Carolina Jim DeMint (R-SC) Hap Rigby 202-224-6121
Texas Kay Bailey Hutchison (R-TX) Mark Sanchez 202-224-5922
Virginia George Allen (R-VA) Jaime Hjort 202-224-4024
West Virginia John Rockefeller (D-WV) James Reid 202-224-6472
Washington Maria Cantwell (D-WA) Michael Daum 202-224-3441
---
Again, here are some thoughts that may help motivate you to do this
right now:
How would you like to serve up broadband that operates in 100% of the
proposed theoretical coverage area around your AP with no significant
line of sight issues? How would you like to use common off the shelf
cable modem type devices with minor modifications as CPE for these new
magical APs? Then pay attention and do what I ask right now and do not
try to micro-manage this effort. Just speak up right now! Today! Not
tomorrow! We need solidarity on this one. Let's get it right and get the
message out loud and clear right now.
Be prepared to hear negative comments about what I am proposing from
WiMAX interests and NAB interests because they do not support all of
what I am asking. We are not WiMAX radio builders and we are not
television broadcasters. We are WISPs and we need TV channels right away
before Uncle Sam pays billions to the RBOCs to circumvent what we are
doing. This is the FCC plan if you do not act fast. The 120 day VOIP 911
order was a clear message that WISPs are not going to have a level
playing field in this current FCC administration in many cases. It is
time for us to demand what we need to build our industry.
Auctioning off the TV channels is not acceptable to us. Congress, like
the FCC, needs to hear it many many times if we are to have a chance at
this effort. We need those TV channels offered up under the FCC 04-186
NPRM. Support it and let the FCC know why you support it. Tell them
about your people who cannot get signal. Tell them about the
unacceptable number of towers it takes to cover a few blocks in a
heavily treed area using higher frequencies. Tell them how we could
maintain higher density modulation schemes without fallback if the
signal to noise ratios were more stable as we will have with TV
channels. Tell them how spectrum is getting tight because of the massive
growth of wireless broadband in your markets and about how unlicensed
use of unused television channels will help this. And in case they've
seen that stupid video by the broadcasters, tell them we will prove that
Grandma will never lose her TV signal with our systems regardless of the
NAB "Sky is falling" mentality. Tell them this NOW!
We are going to get Congress to force the FCC to deal with 04-186.
Remind them that we are the people who brought communications online in
gulf affected areas. We have the highest level of political equity we
have ever had and should use it while we can. It may well be our only
chance to get this spectrum and we desperately NEED THIS SPECTRUM NOW.
Here are the major talking points as addressed by the consolidated group
of organizations who are driving this lobbying effort. Please read and
understand these points for the phone call. It is important that you
speak well for us in D.C. This is your fight to win or lose right now.
Here are some of the talking points for when you call...you should just
print all this out and have it in front of you for reference when you call:
*_Action Alert: Contact Senate Commerce Committee Members_*
* *
*Message: Open the Empty Broadcast Channels and White Spaces for
Unlicensed Wireless Broadband*
*The Issue:*
Next week, House and Senate Commerce Committees will take up legislation
to set in motion the DTV transition. This will set a hard date for the
final transition to digital broadcasting, set aside spectrum for public
safety communications, and reallocate portions of the broadcast spectrum
through auctions. Because this legislation sets policy for use of the
most valuable publicly owned spectrum, it is critical that Congress
allocate a portion of the spectrum for unlicensed use to facilitate
wireless broadband services that will spur technological innovation and
allow entrepreneurs to offer competitive, affordable wireless connectivity.
*Primary Goals: *
* Congress should direct the FCC to finish the work on its
proceeding to open the empty broadcast channels (white spaces) for
unlicensed wireless broadband and public safety purposes. The
white spaces could offer hundreds of megahertz of open spectrum
for competitive wireless broadband services, especially in rural
areas.
* Congress should set aside a 18 MHz of contiguous spectrum from for
dedicated unlicensed wireless broadband and public safety purposes.
*Talking Points *
* The DTV legislation should provide new spectrum for unlicensed use.
* Unlicensed spectrum currently available has spurred
entrepreneurship, technological innovation generating billions in
new business for manufacturers, retailers and providers.
* Unlicensed spectrum has offered significant consumer benefits by
fostering affordable wireless broadband services, promising to
bridge the digital divide.
* Public safety agencies use unlicensed broadband networks for
redundant, reliable communications systems for first responders.
* Today’s unlicensed spectrum bands are not ideal for broadband
services, and they are crowded with hundreds of consumer devices
(like cordless phones and baby monitors.)
* Spectrum in the lower frequencies, such as the broadcast band, is
optimal for unlicensed wireless services—it allows signals to
travel long distances through dense objects. This reduces the
number of transmitters needed, and lowers infrastructure costs
dramatically.
* Opening up empty broadcast channels will spur efficient use of
this valuable public spectrum which currently lies fallow.
* Interference is a non-issue: “smart” unlicensed devices identify
frequencies in use with “listen-before-talk” technology and jump
to the next available open channel. No broadcast channel will
suffer meaningful interference.
Here is the letter we will be sending to the Hill for them to pressure
the FCC to pass 04-186. Do you want your name and company name at the
bottom of this letter going to Congress? Then you better email your
contact info to Frannie RIGHT NOW! Not tomorrow. Not 5 minutes from now.
Email your contact info to Frannie [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> right this minute!
Here is the letter:
Senate Committee on Commerce, Science & Transportation
508 Dirksen Senate Office Building
Washington DC 20510
Dear Senator,**
The digital television transition legislation now pending markup in the
Senate Commerce Committee raises a number of issues of concern to the
undersigned groups. While our organizations may focus on different
aspects of the DTV transition, on one crucial element of the bill, we
speak with one voice: *Any DTV legislation that fails to expand access
to unlicensed spectrum does not serve the public interest.*
Access to unlicensed spectrum will ensure that no American is left
behind as our technology advances in the 21^st century. It will enable
us to bridge the “digital divide” now holding back low-income, minority
and rural families. And this access will be a boon to small businesses,
offering them state-of-the-art communications systems at reasonable
cost. This access also is crucial if we are to build emergency
communications systems that work when we need them most, and that do not
leave our first responders unprotected.
The DTV transition represents an historic reallocation of valuable
public airwaves. This process should be handled holistically with a
public policy goal of maximizing the efficient use of public resources
for public benefit. Opening the old analog broadcast channels for public
safety and wireless broadband communications is a worthy goal. *But it
is /essential/ to look also at the empty broadcast channels that will
remain in the new DTV bands.* In most rural markets where broadband
availability is badly needed, there are more than a dozen empty
broadcast channels (in some cases two or three dozen). Using today’s
“smart radio” technologies, we can leverage this vast swath of dormant
public spectrum to generate local economic development (particularly in
areas under-served by broadband) and to enhance our nation’s economic
competitiveness.
*Congress should set aside portions of the digital broadcast band and
direct the FCC to complete its stalled rulemaking to open unassigned TV
channels in each market (TV band “whitespace”) for unlicensed wireless
broadband services.* Use of these airwaves via an unlicensed wireless
broadband platform would be of enormous benefit to consumers of Internet
services, public safety agencies who require redundant channels for
reliable data networks, and small businesses that seek low-cost
communications to promote job growth.
Securing the public’s right to unlicensed spectrum in the
high-penetration frequencies below 700 MHz promises to create a booming
marketplace for high-speed, high-capacity broadband. In towns as diverse
as Chaska, Minnesota, Coffman Cove, Alaska, Granbury, Texas and
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a rapidly growing number of communities are
opting to use unlicensed spectrum to facilitate high-speed wireless
broadband networks to better serve their residents. Hardware
manufacturers, computer software makers, network operators, and Internet
service providers all view unlicensed spectrum as a huge economic
opportunity.
Unfortunately, the promise of this new technology is stymied by our
current spectrum policies. Right now, the best and most innovative uses
of the public’s airwaves are restricted to a tiny sliver of our
broadcast spectrum (the 2.4 GHz “Wifi” band) that is shared with more
than 250 million consumer gadgets—everything from baby monitors and
cordless phones to garage door openers. Moreover, the capital cost of
deploying wireless broadband networks is roughly three times higher at
2.4 GHz than below 1 GHz; battery life for mobile devices is shorter;
and quality of service (particularly indoor coverage) is considerably
worse.
It is imperative that the American people benefit from using the public
airwaves in specific, concrete ways. The DTV bill may be the Senate’s
best opportunity to promote affordable broadband nationwide and close
the growing gap between the U.S. and our international competitors. The
ITU reports the U.S. has fallen from 3^rd to 16^th in the world in
broadband subscribers in the last few years. We remain among the worst
performers in the industrialized world in terms of bit-speeds per dollar
paid by the consumer for monthly service. This gap is both unacceptable
and unsustainable for our long-term global competitiveness.
This bill offers the Senate two ways to secure spectrum for an
unlicensed communications marketplace. First, and most imperatively,
Congress should direct the FCC to complete its work on rules that would
free up the “white space” between TV channels that now lies fallow and
wasted, and open it up for non-interfering unlicensed use. FCC Chairman
Michael Powell left before this proposed rulemaking (FCC docket 04-186)
could be completed. It is clear that the Commission needs to know that
Congress wants the wasted spectrum below Channel 52 reallocated for
broadband, subject to strict interference protections for television
viewers (which are already outlined by the FCC in its rulemaking). The
positive outcomes of this public policy are extraordinary and the
compelling obstacles to enactment insignificant.
Second, Congress can reserve portions of the broadcast bands for
unlicensed use. One approach would be to set aside channels 2, 3, and 4
as a dedicated unlicensed space. Few broadcasters have selected these
channels for digital transmission—because they have limitations in their
ability to support high capacity applications—and they are otherwise
dormant. Another approach that would ensure a full range of applications
for these new technologies would be to reserve some of the 10 returned
analog channels on 700 MHz for unlicensed use, withholding that portion
from auction. Reserving three channels (18 MHz) for unlicensed services
– and auctioning seven (42 MHz) – would pay dividends to the economy far
exceeding any temporary loss of auction revenue.
Any legislation that fails to address the spectrum needs of Americans in
the 21^st century fails to serve the public interest.
We urge you to make the digital television transition a public interest
win for all of us.
Sincerely,
Here is where your name, company name, city and state you serve will go
if you send this information to Frannie [EMAIL PROTECTED]
<mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The time to get this rolling is right now. I am going to send this out a
couple of times. After that if you do not act it will not matter because
Congress will have already drafted their legislation for the Digital
Television Transition and we will be left in the dark. Act now or you
may not get access to any more spectrum below 1 Ghz ever again. The time
to act is right now, today not tomorrow.
Thanks for all your help,
John Scrivner
--
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