The Canadian government is opening the bidding process for its Advanced Wireless Spectrum in a move to boost competition. The sale of 105 MHz of radio spectrum in the 2 GHz band is intended “to achieve lower prices, better service, and more choice for consumers and businesses,” Minister of Industry Jim Prentice says.

Of the available space, Prentice notes that 40 MHz is being reserved “exclusively for new entrants,” while the remaining 65 MHz is available to all bidders. The auction is scheduled to unfold over multiple rounds of electronic bidding via the Internet using secure encryption technology. Results will be announced later this summer.

The TIA 2008 Telecommunications Market Review and Forecast reported that Canada’s wireless market has been held back by high unit costs and, until 2007, the lack of wireless number portability.

Meanwhile, in the United States, the FCC is seeking comments on a restructured D-Block auction that the commission hopes will generate interoperable broadband services for emergency first responders. An earlier effort to auction D-Block spectrum failed to attract the $1.3 billion minimum bid set by the agency. The use of this spectrum for public safety communications purposes would potentially address the concern that almost seven years after the 9/11 attacks, first responders still lack the communications capabilities they need to effectively coordinate in the event of another national tragedy.

The deadline for comments with the FCC regarding the auctioning of the D-Block is June 20. TIA urges the commission to rapidly re-auction the D-Block spectrum to bring new communications technologies to market. Further, in effectively building an interoperable public safety network, TIA recognizes that broadband and Land Mobile Radio systems (LMRs) both play vital roles.

Hundreds of companies use the comprehensive TIA 2008 Market Review and Forecast with its 400+ pages and 450+ figures and tables to target their strategic plans, investments and marketing. Order your copy at http://www.tiaonline.org/market_intelligence/mrf/index.cfm?/resources/mrf/index.cfm or call +1.703-907.7074.

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Pike & Fischer’s Broadband Policy Summit IV (BPS IV) begins Thursday, June 12, and runs through Friday, June 13, in Washington, D.C. BPS IV is a two-day policy summit addressing a variety of broadband-related issues such as wireless, broadband drivers, regulatory outlooks and the Wall Street perspective. The event will begin with an opening keynote address on Thursday by FCC Commissioner Michael J. Copps.

Among this year’s keynote speakers is Rep. Cliff Stearns (R-Fla.), the ranking member of the House Subcommittee on Telecommunications and the Internet, who will address the meeting during lunch on Thursday. The full agenda is available at www.broadbandpolicysummit.com.

TIA is sponsoring this event, and two of its member companies, Cisco and Motorola will be represented at BPS IV on panels. Jeffrey Campbell, Senior Director, Technology and Communications Policy, Global Policy and Government Affairs, Cisco Systems, Inc., will participate on the panel, Regulatory Outlook: The Big Picture, and will discuss the actions the FCC, the administration and Congress are likely to take in the final months of 2008. Steve Sharkey, Director, Spectrum and Standards Strategy, Motorola, Inc., will discuss new wireless applications and how policies and the 700 MHz spectrum will affect wireless broadband in Wireless Broadband: Becoming a Reality?

In the concluding keynote address, Ambassador David Gross, the State Department’s U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy, will give an international perspective on broadband policy. Other panelists include Dana Shaffer, Chief, FCC Wireline Competition Bureau; Blair Levin, Managing Director, Stifel Nicolaus; Ben Scott, Policy Director, Free Press; and Richard Whitt, Washington Telecom and Media Counsel, Google, Inc.

You still have time to register for the event, and TIA members receive a 20% discount. Contact Lora Magruder at lmagruder@tiaonline.org for information. Pike & Fischer publishes and produces business, legal and regulatory information solutions on a variety of issues, including communications business intelligence, communications law and regulation, and Internet law.

For more information about the conference, contact Becky Schwartz at +1.202.346.3248 or rschwartz@tiaonline.org.

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At the June 12-15 meeting of the Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA) Convention, TIA will be showcasing products compliant with its newly amended standard for hearing aid compatible (HAC) phones.

The original standard, TIA-1083 Telecommunications Telephone Terminal Equipment Handset Magnetic Measurement Procedures and Performance Requirements, defined measurement procedures and performance requirements for magnetic interference caused by handsets to users with hearing aids and cochlear implants.

The expanded TIA-1083, currently out for vote and due to be published as early as September 2008, applies to newer technologies such as Wi-Fi®, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), USB and Bluetooth® telephones and will assist manufacturers in continuing to increase the number of products available to users with hearing impairments.

TIA-1083 was originally developed after telephone manufacturers received complaints from hearing aid wearers who experienced interference when using digital cordless phones. TIA organized and supported research in this area to develop TIA-1083.

For more information on the HLAA Convention, please visit http://www.hearingloss.org/convention/index.asp. You may also contact Becky Schwartz at +1.202.346.3248 or rschwartz@tiaonline.org with any questions.

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