Legislation to authorize voluntary incentive auctions could include provisions to spur investment by broadcasters, Chairman Greg Walden, R-Ore., said Tuesday at a House Communications Subcommittee spectrum hearing. Most members appeared to support incentive auctions. But Walden and others said they are still considering how best to use the 700 MHz D-block to build a national public safety network.

Support for a bipartisan bill to reallocate the 700 MHz D-block to public safety (CD Feb 11 p3) appeared strong at a House Homeland Security Committee hearing Wednesday. Public safety officials testified in support of the assignment for the full 20 MHz of public-safety broadband to a single licensee, in an effort to get legislation passed and a network put in place by the 10th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.

Peter Cramton, an expert on spectrum auctions, said Friday he is “optimistic” about the outlook for a voluntary incentive auction. The key to attracting wireless industry interest, he said, is forcing broadcasters to repack their spectrum to make it valuable in multiple markets, he said at a Media Access Project conference.

Experts supported freeing up additional frequencies for mobile broadband and other new services, and adding flexibility in allocations for innovative technology for frequency sharing, at a hearing of the European Parliament Committee on Industry, Research and Energy about a five-year EU policy on radio frequencies. The European Commission proposed a radio spectrum policy program in September, and the Parliament and Council must vote on it. The program would require member countries to reallocate the 800 MHz band from broadcasters to mobile broadband services. “Addressing and supporting the exceptional growth in mobile data traffic is pivotal to securing the EU’s competitiveness and global leadership in the digital economy,” said Gunnar Höökmark, vice-chairman of the parliamentary European People’s Party Group, who is responsible for the European Parliament’s report on the radio spectrum program. The EU has committed to giving all citizens at least 30 Mbps access and 50 percent of them 100 Mbps by 2020. Höökmark also supported considering additional frequencies for the new services. Simon Forge, consultant at SCF Associates, recommended considering the 600 MHz band for Wi-Fi service, possibly on a shared basis, he said. Christopher Gow, head of spectrum policy at Cisco, said frequencies in the 5 GHz range might be easier to allocate.

The Swiss Federal Communications Commission will auction frequencies for mobile from the digital dividend, 900, 1800, 2100 and 2600 MHz bands, an Ofcom press release said. The auction of digital dividend frequencies is one of Europe’s first, it said. The lower bands are for GSM, UMTS and 3GPP’s Long Term Evolution, it said. Existing GSM and UMTS licenses will expire as early as December 2013, it said. More than 600 MHz will be awarded, an official said. The frequencies will be awarded for 15 years next summer, it said. No special measures were taken to promote a new operator in the market, the press release said. A DotEcon, Ltd. electronic auction system will be used, it said. Ofcom in 2009 ran a consultation on the frequencies allocated to In&Phone, Orange, Sunrise and Swisscom.

A $302 million cut in the NTIA’s Broadband Technologies Opportunities Program, signed into law by President Barack Obama this week (CD Aug 12 p8), raises questions for applicants -- many of which spent tens of thousands of dollars in their efforts -- and for public safety agencies across the country that hope to use grants to build out networks in 700 MHz spectrum. RUS’s broadband program was not cut. Many applicants were surprised by the cut, which came in a bill providing $26.1 billion to states for Medicaid and teachers’ jobs.

NTIA Administrator Larry Strickling warned the Department of Defense spectrum symposium Wednesday that the Obama administration is attentive to wireless carrier calls for more commercial spectrum. Strickling mentioned FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s speech at CTIA last week and that group’s pronouncements a week earlier that the industry would require another 800 MHz of spectrum over time. “The handwriting is on the wall,” Strickling said. “Looking for new spectrum for mobile broadband uses is going to be a priority for policymakers.”

Maps in a draft ITU-R recommendation on where to locate International Mobile Telecommunications stations operating in the 3,400-3,600 MHz band may incorrectly suggest that deploying the technologies in the coordination zones is impossible, Sweden will tell a study group meeting this week on the mobile technologies, said a source familiar with the country’s position. Sweden noted the large size of the zones and the significant number of base stations to coordinate. Sweden and a group of nine companies said mitigation techniques could spur further deployments. Further study is needed for the most efficient spectrum use, the group said. The companies were Alcatel-Lucent France, Alcatel-Lucent USA, Telefon AB-LM Ericsson, Motorola, Nokia Corporation, Nokia Siemens Networks, France Telecom Orange, Societe Francaise du Radiotelephone and Telefonica O2. The draft recommendation offers three methods to decide in bilateral or multilateral talks whether an IMT base or mobile station in the 3.4-3.6 GHz band would meet power flux density requirements in the Radio Regulations. Satellite interests have given the draft recommendation preliminary approval. But rules required them to give mobile interests a chance to consider it.

Meteorology interests are pressing European administrations to reduce the number of channels available for future wireless local area networks on aircraft because of interference with radars, sources said. Wireless and airline industry executives are concerned that military and other radar users will try to further limit use of the 5 GHz band in Europe and on aircraft. Onboard wireless systems are proposed to use various 5 GHz band frequencies for wireless in-flight entertainment distribution systems, crew information services, passenger Internet access, emergency lighting, attendant headphones, and radio frequency identification.

AsiaSat wants to make sure that harmonization of frequencies for electronic newsgathering adequately protects the fixed satellite and broadcasting-satellite services, it told ITU-R subgroups dealing with the issue. The potential tuning ranges under consideration for regional or worldwide harmonization include the 3,400-3,600 MHz, 4,400-5,000 MHz and 21.20-24.50 GHz bands, AsiaSat said. The 3,400-3,600 MHz band has been used for the fixed satellite service for 40 years, AsiaSat said. The 4,500-4,800 MHz band is the downlink band defined in regulatory and technical requirements for certain fixed satellite networks, AsiaSat said. The 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference will “decide on spectrum use of the 21.4 to 22 GHz band for the broadcasting-satellite service and the associated feeder link bands” in Europe, Africa, the former Soviet states and Asia. AsiaSat is also concerned about other frequencies that have the potential for ENG harmonization. The 5,850-6,725 MHz band is used as an uplink with the 3,400-4,200 MHz downlink band by almost all countries, AsiaSat said. The 6,725-7,025 MHz band is used for uplink with the 4,500-4,800 MHz downlink band, it said. Important government networks often use the 7,900-8,400 MHz uplink band and the corresponding 7,250-7,750 MHz downlink band, it said. The 7,025-7,075 MHz band is used for uplinks, sometimes to feed broadcasting satellite networks, AsiaSat said. It’s also worried about the 10.95- 13.25 GHz band, used by the fixed satellite service. An ITU- R working party coordinating studies for the possible worldwide/regional harmonization of spectrum for electronic newsgathering at the 2012 World Radiocommunication Conference “must show conclusively that existing or future deployment of [fixed satellite service] transmitting earth stations is not unduly limited,” AsiaSat said.