SpectrumTalk

Japan Has a Spectrum Strategy -
Why Doesn't FCC?

I just returned from a 10 day trip to Japan for a keynote address at a conference on medical applications of wireless technology (ISMICT 06). I stopped by the Japanese equivalent of FCC, called MIC in English while the Japanese name is actually quite different. Meeting with Mr. Akira TERASAKI, an old friend who now has a senior position, I received a copy of the latest edition of Information and Communications in Japan, the annual white paper on telecom policy.

It is not the most profound document in the world and I don't agree with the approaches they are taking in many areas, but it is much better than anything the FCC has produced in the past year or so. At least Japanese industry and those interested in the Japanese market can see where their government is going in telecom policy and make investments accordingly.

Similarly, the FCC's UK counterpart, Ofcom, has published Spectrum Framework Review: Implementation Plan in which it "consults on the release of spectrum in 2005 – 08, and on extending spectrum liberalisation and trading to mobile services".

So in UK and Japan the general direction of spectrum policy is visible. Why not the US?

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On the lighter side, a friend in Japan gave me a copy of a hilarious parody from The Onion, "America's Finest News Source". A brief excerpt to tempt you:

WASHINGTON, DC—The Federal Communications Commission voted 3-1 Monday to require electronics manufacturers to make all television sets ADHD-compatible within two years.

To adhere to the guidelines, every program, with the exception of The Hi Hi Puffy AmiYumi Show, will have to be sped up to meet the new standard frame rate of 120 frames per second.

FCC Chairman Kevin Martin characterized the move as "a natural, forward-thinking response to the changing needs of the average American viewer."

...

The ruling represents a growing shift toward ADHDTV, a television format designed to meet the needs of an increasingly inattentive and hyperactive audience. The tuner includes a built-in device that automatically changes channels after three minutes of uninterrupted single-station viewing, as well as a picture-in-picture-in-picture-in-picture option. ...

Some networks, however, are embracing the change.

"A majority of our shows are only watchable for a few minutes at a time anyway," said Fox president Peter Liguori, whose recently unveiled fall 2007 TV schedule includes over 850 new series. " ...