Analysis of Spectrum Policies in New IT Era: Rethinking Free Over-the-air Broadcasting

Today, due to the increasing importance of wireless technologies in businesses, the demand for radio-frequency spectrum is greater than it was when the foundation of today’s spectrum allocation and assignment systems were established in the early half of the 20th Century. Governments need to reconsider spectrum policies in order to balance social benefits, technological innovation, and business needs in a timely manner.

In this project I focus on spectrum policies and regulations,especially those for free over-the-air (FoA) TV broadcasting. I survey and analyze today’s FoA broadcasting situation, including industry structure and regulation (in the US and Japan), social benefits of FoA broadcasting, and trends in technology and business plans utilized by FoA broadcasters and their competitors. Next, I summarize the historical and current spectrum policies. After that, based on the surveys and analysis, I discuss options for spectrum policy reforms, especially for FoA broadcasting in Japan, and derive some policy implications.