WASHINGTON-The government, not industry, needs to study the interference impact of the explosion of wireless devices occurring today, said Bob Lucky, corporate vice president of Telecordia Technologies and chairman of the FCC’s Technological Advisory Committee.
“It seems to me that this is a governmental issue … this is not an issue industry wants to solve. This is a billion device opportunity” for industry, Lucky said at a TAC meeting last week.
The Federal Communications Commission’s Office of Engineering and Technology has requested funding in fiscal-year 2001 to study radio-frequency interference levels, said OET chief Dale Hatfield.
“I have made the case but it has to go to [the Office of Management and Budget] and Congress. This [The report of the FCC-TAC spectrum management subcommittee] only strengthens my resolve that we make this a high priority,” Hatfield said.
The technology committee will send a letter to FCC Chairman William Kennard to further bolster Hatfield’s request.
The study will develop a model to predict current and future issues and sources of interference caused by wireless devices both today and in the future.
The number of these devices is growing every day, but growing in different ways in different places, said Dennis Robertson of Motorola Inc.
“The discussion of a trillion devices is not [unrealistic] but will be skewed almost 50 percent to the United States,” Robertson said.
