TIA Urges Congress, President Obama to Consider Voluntary Incentive Spectrum Auctions to Help Reduce Federal Deficit

Washington, D.C. - In a letter sent to President Obama and members of Congress today, the Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) recommended that debt ceiling and federal budget legislation should include provisions granting authority to the Federal Communications Commission to hold voluntary incentive auctions for licensed but unused spectrum.

The letter, signed by TIA President Grant Seiffert, reads:

"Dear Mr. President and Members of Congress,

TIA and its over 500 information and communications technology member companies appreciate your hard work to reach agreement to raise the United States' debt limit ceiling and find ways to reduce the Federal Government budget deficit. As the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has noted, the prospect of the U.S. defaulting on its debt obligations could have very negative repercussions for the U.S. economy. We trust that, by continuing to work together, you will find a solution to the current impasse and avoid a default of the U.S. government's debt obligations and the potentially disastrous consequences that would entail.

In light of these ongoing negotiations, we want to take the opportunity to praise recent progress in Congress on an important issue that will positively affect consumers, our industry, and the U.S. economy, as well as increase government revenue. We support the proposals being discussed in Congress that would establish the authority for the Federal Communications Commission to conduct voluntary incentive auctions that could generate tens of billions of dollars in revenue for the U.S. Treasury, in addition to countless jobs created as a result. These auctions would make available underutilized radio frequency spectrum currently held by television broadcasters. The repurposing of a portion of this spectrum for wireless broadband use will prompt investment in our nation's digital infrastructure. This will generate economic opportunities through the new services and applications that will be possible by building out wireless broadband networks capable of both faster speeds and greater data capacity.

In closing, we strongly encourage you to include voluntary incentive auction authority, which has received bipartisan support, as part of the solution that emerges for addressing the debt ceiling while advancing the shared objective of reducing the national deficit."

The letter is available online at tiaonline.org.

About TIA
The Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) represents the global information and communications technology (ICT) industry through standards development, advocacy, business opportunities, market intelligence and networking. Since 1924, TIA has been enhancing the business environment for broadband, mobile wireless, information technology, networks, cable, satellite and unified communications. Members' products and services empower communications in every industry and market, including healthcare, education, security, public safety, transportation, government, the military, the environment and entertainment.

TIA's 2011 Market Review & Forecast, is available for purchase online at the TIA store. TIA members receive a discount of more than 60 percent off of the cover price. Review copies are available for qualified media.

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TIA is accredited by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI). Visit tiaonline.org.

TIA's Board of Directors includes senior-level executives from ADTRAN, Alcatel-Lucent, ANDA Networks, AttivaCorp, Cisco Systems, Dow Chemical Company, Ericsson, Inc., GENBAND, Inc., Henkels & McCoy, Juniper Networks, ILS Technology, Intel Corporation, Intersect, Inc., LGE, Microsoft, Motorola, Nokia Siemens Networks, OneChip Photonics, Panasonic Computer Solutions Co., Qualcomm, Research In Motion, Sumitomo Electric Lightwave Corporation, Tellabs, TE Connectivity, Ulticom, Inc., Walker & Associates and WirefreeCom, Inc. Advisors to the Board include FAL Associates and Telcordia Technologies.

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