posted 09-14-2001 04:35 AM            

Everyone in the world is moving toward a new era of telecommunications. Close to reality in Europe is a world that links cell phones, personal data assistants like PalmPilots, computers and the internet. This would allow anyone to get information instantly from anywhere in the world.

This kind of communication he calls 3G, known as third generation of wireless communications. The US is moving much slower than the rest of the world, because we have not allocated the space on the electromagnetic spectrum for this purpose.

The longer the US waits according to Ornstein, the more likely that Europe and the rest of the world will pick a particular spot on the airwaves for this purpose. The US has a serious shortage on the spectrum, because we have analog TV, digital TV, satellite TV, cellphones, emergency services, polic and fire communications.

Congress wants to take the spectrum used by the Pentagon for its combat, national security and other communications for 3G, and auction it off. Some lawmakers are begining to raise objections about a huge infusion of money into federal coffers - all to be used for defense, Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass for instance. The Pentagon is skeptical about losing their spectrum space. They want the Defense to get the analog spectrum that broadcasters have pledged to return to taxpayers in 2006.

Broadcasters want to auction off the analog spectrum and use the revenues to pay for digital television (DTV). The problem is that Congress gave broadcasters public airwaves worth 70 billion, on the condition that they would return their analog spectrum to the public in a timely fashion. They want to auction their analog spectrum off, and keep the proceeds.

Ornstein calls this a $200 billion rape of the American taxpayer.