The long-foreshadowed Spectrum Review Report from the Department of Communications has finally seen the light of day, published on the Department's website on Friday 22 May 2015.
The report recommends replacing the Radiocommunications Act with a new Act and reforming the current licensing framework into a single licensing system.
Get the skinny here: http://www.wia.org.au/newsevents/news/2 ... /index.php
Posted in the interests of sharing the news . . . no matter how scary it may seem.
Spectrum Review report released
Spectrum Review report released
73, Roger Harrison VK2ZRH
Re: Spectrum Review report released
An interesting portrait of the future. Just two excerpts, if acted on, will present huge opportunties for the jaded stockbroker, banker or lawyer who wants a new lucrative challenge.
Some of all of the following may come to pass, and where it already happens, occur a lot more.
More allocations will be done by third parties.
Spectrum holdings, like shares and real estate, will become part of peoples investment portfolios, either directly or via superannuation funds.
3rd party private spectrum traders will buy and sell spectrum with no intention of using it themselves.
It may be possible to borrow from banks to buy slabs of spectrum that you think will rise in value or produce income.
Like real estate, spectrum traders will make money from either subdividing spectrum allocations or consolidating holdings on adjacent frequencies to a more marketable block.
Spectrum speculators may pin their hopes on a particular technology and buy and hoard spectrum in anticipation of it being in higher demand.
There will be such a thing as a wholesale and retail price for spectrum. Both will find a market price related to demand. There may be an online Australian Spectrum Exchange.
Holders of major weekend events will be able to lease spectrum from those whose industries mainly use it during the week.
During times of spectrum scarcity prices will rise and the 'invisible hand' will provide incentives to develop spectrum saving technologies.
During times of oversupply (or high use of efficiency measures) spectrum prices will fall and more spectrum hungry uses will be invented.
The longevity of spectrum using products will be a concern since shutdowns and reallocations are difficult and expensive to arrange (eg digital TV).
Such longevity will go from being a good thing (ie your old AM radio still usable) to a bad thing (in that it slows trading and achieving 'the highest and best use' for an asset).
Future uses may not be as tied to rigid long-term allocations as now.
However falling manufacturing costs, broadband technologies, software defined radio techniques and always-on networked devices will allow faster changes through software uploading rather than hardware changes. Frequency and mode changes could become transparent to the user due to uploadable software updates and make spectrum reallocations less disruptive which will foster increased market activity.
Smart kids will have software defined radios that monitor spectrum activity and tie it to the 'owner'. They may identify slabs of little used spectrum and offer to buy it from unaware users for a few thousand. They then package and sell it, becoming overnight millionaires.
Regular judges and juries will not be able to competently hear such technical cases so there may be a 'spectrum tribunal' set up funded from spectrum access charges.
Those with less money will have to put up with interference or seek 'alternative dispute resolution'.
To conclude, the changes appear to remove barriers to market-based change, and will attract non-spectrum users to the field to get their cut - eg private spectrum managers,
private spectrum conveyancers, spectrum lawyers, spectrum valuers, spectrum 'landlords', spectrum usage optimisation consultants, spectrum traders and packagers, etc.
Technical types may lament this but for others the radio spectrum is about to get exciting again.
Some of all of the following may come to pass, and where it already happens, occur a lot more.
More business cards and Linked In accounts will read 'Spectrum broker'provide for greater market‐based activity, including by increasing the opportunity for
spectrum holders to share and trade spectrum
More allocations will be done by third parties.
Spectrum holdings, like shares and real estate, will become part of peoples investment portfolios, either directly or via superannuation funds.
3rd party private spectrum traders will buy and sell spectrum with no intention of using it themselves.
It may be possible to borrow from banks to buy slabs of spectrum that you think will rise in value or produce income.
Like real estate, spectrum traders will make money from either subdividing spectrum allocations or consolidating holdings on adjacent frequencies to a more marketable block.
Spectrum speculators may pin their hopes on a particular technology and buy and hoard spectrum in anticipation of it being in higher demand.
There will be such a thing as a wholesale and retail price for spectrum. Both will find a market price related to demand. There may be an online Australian Spectrum Exchange.
Holders of major weekend events will be able to lease spectrum from those whose industries mainly use it during the week.
During times of spectrum scarcity prices will rise and the 'invisible hand' will provide incentives to develop spectrum saving technologies.
During times of oversupply (or high use of efficiency measures) spectrum prices will fall and more spectrum hungry uses will be invented.
The longevity of spectrum using products will be a concern since shutdowns and reallocations are difficult and expensive to arrange (eg digital TV).
Such longevity will go from being a good thing (ie your old AM radio still usable) to a bad thing (in that it slows trading and achieving 'the highest and best use' for an asset).
Future uses may not be as tied to rigid long-term allocations as now.
However falling manufacturing costs, broadband technologies, software defined radio techniques and always-on networked devices will allow faster changes through software uploading rather than hardware changes. Frequency and mode changes could become transparent to the user due to uploadable software updates and make spectrum reallocations less disruptive which will foster increased market activity.
Smart kids will have software defined radios that monitor spectrum activity and tie it to the 'owner'. They may identify slabs of little used spectrum and offer to buy it from unaware users for a few thousand. They then package and sell it, becoming overnight millionaires.
Spectrum law will become a growth industry.allowing licensees to resolve interference and disputes, including:
encouraging licensees to access alternative dispute resolution
requiring the ACMA to develop and publish guidelines on its dispute
management processes
expanding rights of licensees to take civil proceedings.
Regular judges and juries will not be able to competently hear such technical cases so there may be a 'spectrum tribunal' set up funded from spectrum access charges.
Those with less money will have to put up with interference or seek 'alternative dispute resolution'.
To conclude, the changes appear to remove barriers to market-based change, and will attract non-spectrum users to the field to get their cut - eg private spectrum managers,
private spectrum conveyancers, spectrum lawyers, spectrum valuers, spectrum 'landlords', spectrum usage optimisation consultants, spectrum traders and packagers, etc.
Technical types may lament this but for others the radio spectrum is about to get exciting again.
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Peter VK3YE http://www.vk3ye.com
NEW FOR 2019! Illustrated International Ham Radio Dictionary. 200 page Kindle ebook. $AU $5.99. Get yours at http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/dictionary.htm
Peter VK3YE http://www.vk3ye.com
NEW FOR 2019! Illustrated International Ham Radio Dictionary. 200 page Kindle ebook. $AU $5.99. Get yours at http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/dictionary.htm
- VK5ZLR
- Frequent Poster
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:42 pm
- Location: Retirement Home for Impoverished Amateurs
Re: Spectrum Review report released
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encouraging licensees to access alternative dispute resolution
Bewdy! I'll be able adjust the contrast on my neighbours plasma telly with a baseball bat!
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encouraging licensees to access alternative dispute resolution
Bewdy! I'll be able adjust the contrast on my neighbours plasma telly with a baseball bat!
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Deep in the heart of state of the art.
Re: Spectrum Review report released
The review makes interesting reading.
The one licence approach could prove to be interesting. I can only imagine what the licence document might look like.
The stakeholder (isn't that a butcher...or a bloke at the BBQ) management is the most promising option for us. We (through the WIA) get to have greater influence over our spectrum and the users. Having said that, we have already been going down that track for some years, so I wonder what other aspects of stakeholder-management we will be given?
Enforcement...hmmmm. Lower level options available for sanctioning naughty boys and girls seems a good thing, but I can see government backing right out of the dispute resolution and leaving it to the courts, lawyers, and which ever party has the bigger bank account.
Interesting times indeed!
The one licence approach could prove to be interesting. I can only imagine what the licence document might look like.
The stakeholder (isn't that a butcher...or a bloke at the BBQ) management is the most promising option for us. We (through the WIA) get to have greater influence over our spectrum and the users. Having said that, we have already been going down that track for some years, so I wonder what other aspects of stakeholder-management we will be given?
Enforcement...hmmmm. Lower level options available for sanctioning naughty boys and girls seems a good thing, but I can see government backing right out of the dispute resolution and leaving it to the courts, lawyers, and which ever party has the bigger bank account.
Interesting times indeed!
John
"I will not have my fwiends widiculed by the common soldiewy."
Pontius Pilate - The Life of Brian
"I will not have my fwiends widiculed by the common soldiewy."
Pontius Pilate - The Life of Brian
Re: Spectrum Review report released
An interesting article on spectrum trading and possible implications
Amtrak and the FCC
What bad wireless spectrum policy has to do with the recent, deadly train derailment.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technolog ... olicy.html
Amtrak and the FCC
What bad wireless spectrum policy has to do with the recent, deadly train derailment.
http://www.slate.com/articles/technolog ... olicy.html
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Peter VK3YE http://www.vk3ye.com
NEW FOR 2019! Illustrated International Ham Radio Dictionary. 200 page Kindle ebook. $AU $5.99. Get yours at http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/dictionary.htm
Peter VK3YE http://www.vk3ye.com
NEW FOR 2019! Illustrated International Ham Radio Dictionary. 200 page Kindle ebook. $AU $5.99. Get yours at http://home.alphalink.com.au/~parkerp/dictionary.htm
- VK5ZLR
- Frequent Poster
- Posts: 97
- Joined: Sun Jun 23, 2013 5:42 pm
- Location: Retirement Home for Impoverished Amateurs
Re: Spectrum Review report released
Well you'd have to hope that the Amateur slice isn't available for trading, 'cos there's bits of it I'm using.
Deep in the heart of state of the art.