Wireless Future Project

The Wireless Future Project, which is part of New America's Open Technology Initiative, develops and advocates policy proposals to promote universal, affordable and ubiquitous broadband and improve the public’s access to critical wireless communication technologies. It seeks to promote fair and efficient use of the airwaves to unlock the full potential of the wireless age for all Americans. This project is headed by Michael Calabrese.

In each economic era, wealth creation has been driven by specific resources. In the agricultural era it was land; in the industrial era, it was energy. Today the American people collectively own the most valuable resource of the emerging information economy: the public airwaves, also known as the electromagnetic spectrum. As the world goes wireless, access to the airwaves is the “oil of the information age;” indeed, economists estimate the commercial value of existing licenses at over $750 billion.

Unfortunately, our nation’s antiquated spectrum policies have created artificial spectrum scarcity that reduces innovation and competition, inhibits the rapid deployment of universal affordable wireless broadband services, and sacrifices many billions of dollars in public revenue. more...