The FCC is authorized to regulate spectrum access private and government uses; however, the National Telecommunications and Information Administration of the Commerce Department allocates spectrum for use by the federal government (including the military).

Currie's achievements during his chairmanship include the telecoms strategic review which led to the rapid unbundling of BT phone lines and using the open market to allocate spectrum via auctioning.

The firm had spent nearly 20 years trying to convince the FCC to allocate air-to-ground spectrum for provide greater competition and better utility.

AT&T's proposal and the other satellite plans have been filed as part of an F.C.C. process for allocating radio-wave spectrum on a new higher-frequency band, known as the Ka-band.

Unfortunately, a proposal currently being considered prohibits the FCC from allocating spectrum cleared in the broadcast bands for unlicensed use.

It has licences to operate in Delhi but has not been allocated spectrum from the Government.

"The commission did not allocate spectrum for any specific technology or any particular vendor or firm," said Robert Pepper, head of the F.C.C.'s office of plans and policy.

In the debate today and in committee criticisms have been levelled at allocating spectrum through auctions.

Member States should not be allowed to allocate newly freed-up spectrum to a specific market player if that would diminish or distort competition in the market.

I should also like us to pay attention to the principles of allocating and auctioning spectrum, because it is not necessarily used in every case for commercial purposes and, hence, to generate profit.