WASHINGTON-The White House policy of banning Democratic donors from U.S. telecom delegations appears at odds with a new government report that stresses the importance of having industry experts on the American negotiating team, but dodges the overriding controversy of injecting politics into delegation membership.
As such, the report and accompanying press release issued by the National Telecommunications and Information Administration last week may only add to the confusion over U.S. policy on how to prepare for World Radiocommunication Conferences.
NTIA, a Commerce Department unit that advises the president on telecom policy and manages federal government spectrum, recommended formal senior-level agency engagement in the WRC preparations; closer cooperation and coordination of federal and non-federal preparations; and earlier international consultation, communication, preparation and formation of the delegation.
NTIA said the recommendations were crafted in consultation with the State Department and Federal Communications Commission. The three agencies are primarily responsible for crafting pre-WRC U.S. positions. The Department of Defense and NASA also play key roles.
The report underscored the role of private-sector contributions to U.S. delegations to WRCs, without addressing arguably the top WRC-related issue of the day: the removal of prospective delegates with Democratic campaign finance ties.
“The U.S. preparatory process and ultimately the delegation are built on career government professionals … together with private-sector participants. These individuals provide tremendous continuity and personal relationships,” the report stated.
Former Clinton administration officials and industry lobbyists assert the White House decision to disqualify telecom industry representatives from U.S. telecom delegations on the basis of Democratic campaign contributions-regardless of their expertise and experience in the arcane world of international spectrum policymaking-will hurt the United States’ ability to meet its objectives at future WRCs.
Heads of NTIA, the FCC and the State Department’s international telecom office have said nothing publicly on the White House delegation policy, raising some to question whether the policy has the support of administration officials most responsible for international telecom policy. The White House, after initially issuing a vigorous public defense of the policy, has refused to address the subject further.
In the ever-evolving global economy, WRCs are as important as ever in determining global and regional spectrum allocations. Decisions at conferences shape domestic wireless policy and thus influence the flow of capital in the private sector. In the extreme, WRC actions can help decide industry winners and losers in the global wireless market and determine pace as well as direction of important technological advances in the U.S. and other countries.
NTIA seemed to acknowledge as much. “WRCs are an important endeavor for the United States because we are able to bring new and innovative technologies to the world community. … The U.S. preparatory process also facilitates the highly valued involvement of manufacturers, service providers, and non-federal spectrum users. This results in delegations with wide interests and diverse goals.”
In its press release, NTIA said it was unveiling a road map for improving the process by which the United States gets ready for global conferences. NTIA said the WRC preparatory blueprint supports President Bush’s spectrum management reform agenda.
In fact, NTIA’s initiative was prompted by a 2002 Government Accountability Office report, which flagged various shortcomings in U.S. WRC preparations.
The Bush administration’s delegation policy came to light earlier this year, but is believed to have been implemented shortly after the president’s 2004 re-election victory.
RCR Wireless News previously reported on four individuals who were scratched from the U.S. delegation to the Inter-American Telecommunication Commission meeting in Guatemala City in April. Prior to the Guatemala City conference, sources said an industry representative on an ITU-working group was removed from a U.S. delegation as a result of making Democratic campaign contributions.
