外国电信业之七种缪误.pdf

dogmas and spectrum allocations
Andrew Odlyzko
Digital Technology Center, University of Minnesota
499 Walter Library, 117 Pleasant St. SE
Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
******@
/∼odlyzko
June 20, 2004
Abstract. A substantial spectrum reallocation is called for. The current system
is extraordinarily inefficient and inadequate for the challenge of stimulating
innovative new services and business models. It also perpetuates the traditional
and deeply flawed bias in favor of content instead of connectivity.
A proper spectrum reallocation would promote new services directly, and
would speed up the developing restructuring of munications. In addition,
it would also help disprove many myths that are hobbling this vital industry.
1 Introduction
The current spectrum allocation system is deeply flawed. Even if it was appropriate decades
ago, given the primitive wireless technologies that were available at that time, it is obsolete.
The inefficiencies of our current system have been documented extensively, in particular
in the reports by the New America Foundation’s Spectrum Policy Program [12]. This note
will not review them, and instead will discuss some high level issues related to current
and prospective uses of spectrum. The perspective will be based on history and economics.
Although technology has changed dramatically over the centuries, economics, psychology,
and sociology have not, and many of the issues we face today are fundamentally the same
ones faced by society in the past when faced with some previous novel technologies.
A key issue is the degree of control that service providers should have. To what extent
should their technology or business model choices be constrained by government? There is
vigorous debate on this topic, and it largely repeats earlier debates for other technologies.
For example, in the 19th century, railroads were the most prominent and most disruptive
new technology, and there were long debates on w