The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program released a new report that examines the regulatory needs for the next generation of wireless innovation, often referred to as 5G.
For Immediate Release
Contact: Kiahna Cassell
The Aspen Institute
202-736-5818
kiahna.cassell@aspeninstitute.org
Aspen Institute Report Explores 5G:
Next Generation of Wireless Technology
Washington, DC, July 11, 2016 – The Aspen Institute Communications and Society Program released a new report that examines the regulatory needs for the next generation of wireless innovation, often referred to as 5G. Demand for wireless services is growing exponentially, especially in machine-to-machine communication, and 5G technologies allow for exciting new uses of the spectrum. At the same time, the U.S. Government will need to take a number of steps to encourage innovation and fairness in the field.
Preparing for a 5G World, written by rapporteur Richard Adler, is the volume resulting from the 2015 Aspen Institute Roundtable on Spectrum Policy (AIRS), a gathering of 25 leaders and experts from competing businesses, government and the non-profit sector held at the Aspen/Wye River Conference Center in Queenstown, Maryland last October. The report defines key policy issues raised by the move to 5G and recommends actions to address these concerns.
To accommodate new uses occasioned by the emergence of 5G, the report advises, regulators will need to allow use of higher frequency bands, speed up the availability and sharing of Federal spectrum for private use, improve efficiencies in the regulatory process, and invest in research around 5G. The Report also includes background and context for the emergence of 5G technologies and services, and a number of more specific recommendations to facilitate these services.
The Federal Communications Commission is scheduled to host an open meeting Thursday, July 14, on a possible framework to guide transitions to next-generation communications technologies.
The full AIRS report is available in an online, digital, and interactive version at: as.pn/spectrum. The digital platform includes participant biographies, the Roundtable agenda, photos from the event, background materials, and more. Participants at the Roundtable included government officials from the U.S. Department of Commerce and Federal Communications Commission; non-profit organizations active in the field; executives from telecommunications, broadcasting, cable, software, wireless and communications equipment companies; and leading academics and thinkers.
The Communications and Society Program is a global forum for leveraging the power of leaders and experts from business, government and the non-profit sector in the communications and information fields for the benefit of society. Its roundtable forums and other projects aim to improve democratic societies and diverse organizations through innovative, multi-disciplinary, values-based policy-making. They promote constructive inquiry and dialogue, and the development and dissemination of new models and options for informed and wise policy decisions.
The Aspen Institute is an educational and policy studies organization based in Washington, DC. Its mission is to foster leadership based on enduring values and to provide a nonpartisan venue for dealing with critical issues. The Institute is based in Washington, DC; Aspen, Colorado; and on the Wye River on Maryland’s Eastern Shore. It also has offices in New York City and an international network of partners. For more information, visit www.aspeninstitute.org.