Less Interagency Spectrum Policy Dysfunction Likely No Matter Next President

Gerry Waldron is quoted in Communications Daily regarding the presidential election’s impact on the current dysfunction between the FCC and other federal agencies on spectrum management.

Mr. Waldron says Capitol Hill will likely want to watch to see if the relationship between the FCC and other agencies “gets better on its own” in either a Biden or Trump administration. He adds, “If the system corrects itself on its own,” the scuffle was purely a “personnel problem” rather than “an institutional problem” that could require legislation to correct.

Bipartisanship remains “overwhelmingly” the status quo in Capitol Hill spectrum policymaking, notwithstanding outliers like the 5.9 GHz dispute, he says. “I don't expect any dramatic, profound changes” in lawmakers' “desire to make spectrum available” for 5G and unlicensed use, though there will of course be “some differences in priorities and outcomes” within that framework. The “amount of concern” about whether the U.S. can beat China to be the global leader in 5G development will remain a “motivator” for lawmakers to reach a consensus on spectrum matters, he adds.