Posted January 14th, 2011 by James Brown - Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
Managing spectrum is one of the FCC's primary responsibilities. These APIs are tools that unlock our substantial databases related to spectrum ownership, spectrum use, and spectrum capabilities at different locations.
Below is snapshot of the two APIs.
When we released the first set of APIs back in September, we did so as part of our Data Innovation Initiative efforts towards better data transparency and open government. We continue with those efforts by releasing the second set of APIs today.
Your feedback has been essential to improving these API releases and making them more valuable to developers in the wild (see previous conversations here and here). Let us know what uses you might have for APIs like these, recommended tweaks, or suggest APIs you want to see in the future.
Posted in Wireless Telecommunications Bureau , Wireless , Open Government , Spectrum Dashboard , Reform - Data , Data , Developer , ApiPosted October 20th, 2010 by George Krebs
By John Leibovitz
At last week’s Commission meeting, Chairman Genachowski announced that the FCC will be hosting a Spectrum Summit to bring together creative thinkers to solve the looming spectrum crunch and ensure enough airwaves are available for Americans’ growing appetite for mobile broadband.
The Summit is now here – it kicks off at 10 am tomorrow (Thursday) -- and will be carried live at FCC.gov/Live. And we’re very pleased that C-SPAN has agreed to join us as well. You’ll be able to find video archives there and in the FCC’s video archive on the web.
It promises to be an interesting day. Mobile broadband demand is growing at an astounding rate, and we’re bringing together some the key players in industry, government, academia, and the investment community to discuss how we can best help spectrum supply keep up.
Check out the agenda here, and tune in tomorrow!
Posted August 6th, 2010 by Robert Alderfer
CTIA, the Wireless Association, estimates that there are now over 285 million wireless subscribers in the US, generating revenue of over $150 billion annually. And, FCC spectrum auctions have generated $52 billion in revenue since the program’s inception. When one considers the additional tax revenue from a growing industry, as well as the “consumer surplus” of wireless services, the benefit of auctions look even more significant as a means to facilitate wireless growth.
So what does it take to generate these economic benefits through auctions? In addition to hardworking staff, it takes data. Auction participants provide data in their applications, they provide feedback on auctions, and they provide information necessary to ensure compliance with auction rules. Without this information, the auction program could not be successful. For example, auction participants are required to disclose to the FCC any “attributable interests”, or partners. This promotes transparency, protects against collusion among bidders and ensures appropriate competition for spectrum resources. It also prevents gaming of the rules, such as certain preferences provided to small businesses that enable them to compete.
Auctions also generate enormous amounts of data. For every spectrum auction, we publish who bid on what and how much at each stage. This can mean thousands of data points in any given auction, which is useful for researchers, industry-watchers, and consumers alike.
The Data Innovation Initiative is about doing business in a smarter way. The Wireless Telecommunication Bureau's Data Review WT Docket No 10-131 is a Public Notice seeking comments on how we can improve data related to auctions and other functions. In the context of auctions, this means taking a second look at the information we collect to support the program, and maximizing the public benefit of auction data. For example, by modernizing our reporting requirements, we may be able to save participants several thousand hours per year overall. Through tighter integration of our auctions and licensing data, we could more easily track auctioned licenses and provide insight on what happens to them in the secondary market. And, by clear reporting of the vast amount of data we have gained in prior auctions, we can provide the public with a window into the world of auctions.
We are eager to hear from those who have participated in FCC auctions or have expertise in auctions and spectrum to share on how we can do improve our auctions-related data. Follow this link to file comments WT Docket No-131. Official comments are due by August 13.
Posted in Wireless Telecommunications BureauPosted June 10th, 2010 by Ruth Milkman - Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
This year’s report expands our analysis of what is traditionally called “Commercial Mobile Radio Service” into a larger understanding of competition across the full mobile wireless “ecosystem”, including voice, messaging, and broadband services, as well as “upstream” segments (e.g., towers, spectrum, backhaul) and “downstream” segments (e.g., devices and applications). The broad perspective of the report reflects the increasing importance of mobile wireless broadband, as mobile devices that can access the Internet – such as smartphones – are gaining enormous popularity.
One of the main goals of the FCC staff in preparing this year’s report was to bring as many relevant facts to the table as possible. In many cases, we’ve looked at trends from two or three different angles to reveal a fuller picture of how wireless marketplace is evolving. And, for the first time, we are making much of the data in the report available in machine-readable format for researchers and data practitioners. (Some data used in the report is from proprietary sources such as financial analysts which the Commission does not have the permission to re-distribute in machine-readable form.)
One example of an industry trend examined in the report from multiple data points is the growth of mobile data traffic, arising due to the increased adoption of smartphones and data consumption on new mobile devices that access the Internet. For instance, Cisco estimates that global mobile data traffic grew 157 percent from 33 terabytes in 2008 to 85 terabytes in 2009. The chart below, from independent industry analyst Validas, shows how greater device functionality leads to greater mobile data utilization.
Estimated Mobile Data Usage by Type of Device
And Morgan Stanley data clearly shows that smartphones are becoming a more significant element of the wireless market.
Smartphone Adoption Rates in the United States 2008-2009
In addition, industry revenue from data services is growing, as the below FCC analysis of industry data shows (available in our release of data).
Total Mobile Wireless Industry Revenues
The wireless industry is evolving, and our approach to this annual report has evolved in kind to provide a more complete picture of wireless competition. We hope this data-driven approach will prove to be a useful resource for consumers, analysts, and policy makers.
We’re interested in your feedback – what does this data say to you?
Posted May 21st, 2010 by Dorothy Stifflemire
This was a very active session reinforcing many of the insightful suggestions we received at the earlier workshop. The participants at this session included: licensee, third party filers, and other federal government agencies. Many of the participants offered a unique perspective and very valuable feedback.
The suggestions ranged for recommendations for improving the access, and search capabilities to our licensing data, to collecting additional technical data in CLS. Participants also offered suggestions on cleaning up the data in the Commission Registration System (CORES) and recommended creating linkages between the Antenna Structure Registration (ASR) Database and CLS.
The recommendations did not stop there; we went on to discuss enhanced mapping capabilities as well as the need for user testing, training and manuals as we move forward with the new system.
When addressing participants at the CLS Public Workshop on May 6th Mary Beth Richards, Special Counsel to the Chairman on FCC Forum reinforced that we need to hear from you. She asked participants “to please be forthcoming, and creative, and that we look forward to hearing from you.” It was obvious at this session that our customers are up to the task.
Posted May 12th, 2010 by Ruth Milkman - Chief of the Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
On Thursday, May 13th, the Commission will be exploring these issues during a workshop called “Expanding Disability Access with Wireless Technologies.” I hope that everyone who is interested will join us in the Commission Meeting Room or via the web from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. If that time doesn’t work for you, the workshop will also be available online afterwards.
The first panel will focus on current access challenges. We will be discussing mobile communications access issues facing people with disabilities and disparities in technology access. During that session, we will be asking our panelists to give us their thoughts on questions such as:
Our second panel will explore technology trends. During this session we will discuss ways in which new technologies can offer opportunities to overcome challenges in access to mobile communications. We will be looking at issues such as:
We will also have several technology demonstrations so that people can experience examples of advanced mobile communications devices that are designed to provide access to people with disabilities.
Click here for more information on the upcoming workshop.
Posted May 10th, 2010 by James Brown - Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
With wide experience in the public and private sectors, the panelists will share their perspectives on the Spectrum Dashboard - how they currently use it and what they would like to see in a Spectrum Dashboard 2.0, anticipated in the fourth quarter of 2010.
The forum is scheduled for this Wednesday, May 12 from 10:00am to 1pm (EDT) and is open to the publi. For those attending in person, the event will take place in the FCC’s Commission Meeting Room, 445 12th Street, S.W., Washington, D.C. Note that attendance is limited by available seating, but the event can be viewed online at http://www.fcc.gov/live or using Webex.
Meet the Panelists
For information on attending, please contact Cecilia Sulhoff at (202) 418-0587 or Cecilia.Sulhoff at FCC dot gov with your name, title, organization affiliation, and contact information. It is recommended that individuals arrive thirty minutes prior to the start of the forum to pass through security. There are two options to attend the forum online:
Posted in Wireless Telecommunications Bureau , Spectrum Dashboard
Posted April 22nd, 2010 by James Brown - Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
Anyone interested in providing feedback on the list of potential enhancements below, suggesting additional potential enhancements, or participating at the forum by sharing your experiences with using the Spectrum Dashboard should contact me by April 30, 2010 at James.Brown at FCC dot gov or (717) 338-2621. Final details of the forum will be announced approximately one week before the forum on this blog and in a public notice.
Potential Enhancements to the Spectrum Dashboard
Enhance license information:
Add search capabilities:
Improve search results:
Expand the information available for downloading:
Posted April 14th, 2010 by James Brown - Wireless Telecommunications Bureau
After feedback from the questionnaire is collected and analyzed, a workshop will be held to discuss the feedback received, listen to public views on desired upgrades, and discuss ways to expand and improve the information and analyses contained in the Spectrum Dashboard. The workshop will be announced in a Public Notice as well as through a blog.
To access the questionnaire, click on the “Give us your opinion” link located at the top right corner of any of the Spectrum Dashboard searches (Browse Spectrum Maps, Browse Using a Map, Search by Name, and Search by FCC License Categories).
We look forward to hearing from you.
Posted in Wireless Telecommunications Bureau , Spectrum DashboardPosted March 31st, 2010 by Craig Bomberger
The first auction for which the FCC has posted a tutorial is Auction 87, the upcoming auction of licenses for lower and upper paging bands spectrum, which is scheduled to begin on May 25, 2010. The tutorial is available here. This video provides a brief demonstration of the new tutorial:
