Spectrum Commons

In polite society, dogmatism is a sign of an unsophisticated mind. This might explain the eager efforts of many to establish a "third way" in politics, economics, religion, and other fields. So it is not surprising that a "third way" should come to federal spectrum policy, too. Historically, the radio spectrum has been doled out to users by what the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) calls a "command-and-control" process. At about the same time, however, a new school of academics and activists began to promote what they styled a "third-way" for spectrum. In designating the 3650 MHz band a commons, the FCC made a series of tradeoffs based on no more information than what it acquired through the record and its own fact-finding.