As more Americans are using smartphones and other mobile devices to do everything from making phone calls and surfing the web to watching videos and conducting business, the demand for spectrum continues to rise. Experts predict that by 2015, 56 times the data will be used than in 2009 due to the explosion in wireless traffic.

Karen Kerrigan, President and CEO of the Small Business & Entrepreneurship Council –a Broadband for America member –recently wrote an op-ed in The Hill  supporting spectrum reallocation. “Making more spectrum available will have broad benefits for the public and U.S. economy. Particularly for small business owners and entrepreneurs, mobile technologies are becoming critical to their competitiveness and cost-cutting strategies. Consumer demand for wireless devices and mobile applications continues to push America forward as the world’s leader in technology innovation. Economic growth, innovation, productivity enhancement and competitiveness all rest on having enough capacity to accommodate the explosive growth of wireless,” Kerrigan writes.  

Congress and the FCC are currently working on proposals to reallocate unused spectrum from broadcasters to wireless providers through incentive auctions. Both Democrats and Republicans are in agreement that the spectrum crunch is an issue that needs to be resolved quickly.

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