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Spectrum - Private or Public Control?
 

A PFF Congressional Seminar
April 15, 2004, 12:00 - 2:00 pm
Dirksen Senate Office Building, Room 192
Washington, DC

Speakers:

  • Stuart Benjamin, Duke University School of Law
  • Harold Feld, Media Access Project
  • Randolph J. May, The Progress & Freedom Foundation
  • Peter Pitsch, Intel Corporation

At least since Ronald Coase's famous 1959 article entitled The Federal Communications Commission advocating that the government sell spectrum rights in order to create a functioning marketplace, there has been a lively, if at times contentious, debate concerning spectrum policy. Much of the discussion today concerns whether the FCC should rely more heavily on a "commons" approach in allocating spectrum.

Professor Benjamin has published a new law review article entitled, "Spectrum Abundance and the Choice Between Private and Public Control." After examining the arguments in favor of spectrum commons, he concludes that efficiency considerations tilt in favor of private ownership of spectrum. In this seminar, he discussed a shorter version of this article that was published by PFF, followed by reactions from the panel.

 

 

The Progress & Freedom Foundation