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What approach should governments follow for optimizing spectrum auctions?

Access to spectrum is vital for modern digital communications. Radio frequencies are essential for smartphones connectivity, access to the Cloud, the Internet of Things, as well as potential use cases in autonomous vehicles and artificial intelligence.

Governments use auctions in order to allocate radio spectrum to companies efficiently; these auctions have a significant impact on innovation, economic well-being, and government revenues.

Let’s take a look at the results of the 3500MHz auctions in Australia and Canada. Last week, Australia’s auction concluded, raising just under AUS$725M (roughly C$650M). Similar spectrum was auctioned in Canada 2 years ago, raising C$8.9B – more than 13 times the amount. Canadian carriers paid C$3.28 per MHz-pop; Australia’s auction worked out to C$0.26 per MHz-pop.

Canadian carriers paid billions of dollars in higher spectrum fees than their Australian counterparts. Had Canada’s auction been structured to optimize increased infrastructure investment instead of driving government revenues, what would have been the impact on innovation or economic well-being?

The International Telecommunications Society is hosting its next one-hour webinar on December 7, starting at 10:00am (Eastern), looking at “Optimizing spectrum auctions”. Frequent readers know that I have been a big fan of the ITS webinars (Like last month’s AI policy webinar)

Geoffrey Myers, a former economist with Ofcom, and now visiting professor in practice at The London School of Economics and Political Science, will discuss his recent book, Spectrum Auctions: Designing markets to benefit the public, industry and the economy.

The webinar will draw on his extensive experience at the UK’s communications regulator, and his study of the theory and practice of spectrum auctions. Professor Myers will explore the optimization of regulatory design in spectrum auctions, providing insights on the entire spectrum auction process. He will address several critical themes that emerge from his work:

• How can we continually improve spectrum auction design by learning from successes and failures worldwide?
• Are there enough analytical tools to consistently guide and support spectrum policy decisions?
• How can expert advice, extending beyond technical and economic knowledge, shape spectrum policy effectively while considering policymakers’ practical concerns?

This webinar is a valuable resource for regulators, economists, and private sector experts involved in spectrum auction design and bidding strategies. It also provides insights for applied economists, teachers, and advanced students interested in market design and public management.

I hope to see you online. Reserve your complimentary spot today.

On June 5, the International Telecommunications Society will host its next webinar, “Ethical AI Governance: Are Companies and Governments Ready for the AI Revolution?”

The webinar is topical as many jurisdictions around the world explore legislation to control the deployment of artificial intelligence. The Government of Canada recently released “The Artificial Intelligence and Data Act (AIDA) – Companion document” about which Barry Sookman has written.

For the past few years, I have been keeping current on issues relevant to telecommunications professions by virtual attendance at these ITS webinars. This webinar will be hosted by the Ivey Business School at Western University, and will feature international experts on AI governance, including Dr. Richard Benjamins (Chief AI & Data Strategist at Telefonica), Professor Rachel Dunscombe (chief industry advisor at the Dedalus Group), Mr. Cameron Schuler (Chief Commercialization Officer & Vice President of Industry Innovation at the Vector Institute) and Dr. Paul Timmers (research associate at the University of Oxford’s Oxford Internet Institute).

The webinar abstract reads:

Rapid advancements in artificial intelligence (AI) underscore the need for ethical and responsible AI governance to ensure humanity’s best interests. This webinar brings together four international experts to discuss key aspects of AI governance, including aligning organizational practices with authoritative guidance and addressing the complexities of responsible, ethical, and accountable AI. The speakers will explore crucial questions related to the role of governments and public policies in shaping AI’s future, driving AI adoption across industries, and maintaining transparency and accountability. This event presents a unique opportunity for government and corporate decision-makers to engage in informed discussions on AI regulation and governance, contributing to the development of a robust and ethical AI landscape.

Take an hour on June 5 at 10 am (Eastern) to learn more about Ethical AI governance. Registration is free.

I hope to see you online.

A few weeks ago, I wrote about the last webinar of the year from the International Telecommunications Society, “Comparing International Approaches To Spectrum Policy” that took place last week (video reply is available here).

In the chat room, one of the attendees referred to a relatively recent GSMA report, “The impact of spectrum prices on consumers”, published in September 2019 [pdf, 2MB]. That report included these recommendations:

1. Maximising revenues from spectrum awards should no longer be a measure of success;
2. Auctions can deliver inefficient outcomes when poorly designed;
3. Artificially limiting the supply of spectrum, including through set-asides, risks slowing services and inflating prices;
4. Spectrum should be released to the market as soon as there is a business case for operators to use it;
5. Policymakers should work with stakeholders to enable timely, fair and effective spectrum licensing to the benefit of society

The webinar provided some valuable academic perspectives on various approaches to spectrum policy, examining factors that can impact consumer outcomes, such as prices, service quality and coverage.

There was an observation from Helaina Gaspard of University of Ottawa’s Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy that I found to be especially interesting: “Canada wants to improve connectivity but there is no policy mechanism, formal or informal, that assesses whether spectrum policy is delivering against the government’s overall objective for ubiquitous coverage”.

Indeed, shouldn’t we ensure that the outcomes of spectrum policy delivers against the theoretical objectives that form the basis of those policies? Whether it is set-asides, the choice of spectrum tiers or other conditions selected as part of the policy framework for each spectrum band, how do we measure success?

Allocating spectrum, the radio waves on which wireless technologies depend, is a multifaceted challenge for policy makers across the globe.

Each determination requires a balancing of interests: who should get to use radio frequencies; in what areas; for how long; for what purpose; under what conditions. Spectrum policy must consider consumer and corporate interests, and national economic policy.

Governments taking too much of a “hands-off” approach could lead to interference across spectrum bands, undermining valuable uses of wireless technologies; too much intervention could stifle innovation and competition by artificially raising prices, or allocating spectrum to operators with insufficient incentives or abilities to invest.

A couple of weeks ago, I noticed that New Zealand had once again decided to allocate mid-band spectrum to its 3 national mobile operators at no charge in order to help drive more rapid deployment of 5G. Two years ago, New Zealand cancelled its planned auction of 3.5GHz spectrum and simply assigned 40 MHz to Dense Air, 60 MHz to Spark, and 60 MHz to 2degrees. New Zealand’s approach stands as an interesting contrast to the multi-billion dollar spectrum auctions in so many other jurisdictions.

The International Telecommunications Society is hosting its final webinar of 2022, Driving Digital Transformation: International Comparisons of Spectrum Policy [pdf, 143KB] on November 15, 2022 at 9:30 am (Eastern).

Spectrum policy requires taking stock of international experiences to expand the pool of knowledge and identify global best practices. While no two jurisdictions are entirely alike, drawing on the global experience in the design of spectrum is critical to ensure that nations can benefit fully from their spectrum resources. Featuring four international experts, this webinar will compare international spectrum policies, including assignment mechanisms, deployment conditions, and governance frameworks. In doing so, these global experts will reveal lessons for governments and others involved in spectrum policymaking, as well as the implications for the global digital transformation.

The speakers are:

• Dr. Helaina Gaspard, co-founder and Director, Governance & Institutions, of the Institute of Fiscal Studies and Democracy (IFSD) at the University of Ottawa. Her work centres on key actors of fiscal ecosystems, while leveraging relationships with partners such as the World Bank, the National Governors Association, the OECD and the International Budget Partnership. The IFSD recently completed a report for comparing spectrum assignment mechanisms across countries.
• Dr. Marja Matinmikko-Blue, Research Director of Infotech Oulu Institute and Director of Sustainability and Regulation of 6G Flagship at the University of Oulu. She coordinated the writing of twelve 6G White Papers that were published and led the development of the White Paper on 6G Drivers and the UN SDGs. Marja has published over 170 scientific papers.
• Dr. Petrus Potgieter, Professor in Decision Sciences at the University of South Africa and a researcher at the Institute for Technology and Network Economics. He conducts research on the impact of new technologies to the economy, policy and society. Petrus is a board member of the ITS, and editorial board member of the Journal of Telecommunications Policy.
• Ms. Janette Stewart, senior spectrum expert at Analysys Mason, with 25 years’ experience in radio engineering, wireless technologies, spectrum policy and spectrum management. Prior to 2001 she worked for the UK Radiocommunications Agency (now Ofcom). Janette’s expertise lies in mobile, wireless and broadband technologies and markets.

Registration for the webinar is free.

Is re-imagined competition law the answer to concerns about Big Tech getting to be just too big?

That is the subject of an upcoming webinar hosted by the International Telecommunications Society (ITS). In a recent LinkedIn post, Stephen Schmidt, Vice-President Telecom Policy & Chief Regulatory Legal Counsel at TELUS, and Chair of ITS, writes:

Over the past decade, Amazon, Apple, Facebook, Google, and Microsoft have become the most valuable companies on the planet. These platforms have transformed our economic and social lives, enabling e-commerce, teleworking, video streaming, virtual healthcare, and more. Notwithstanding these benefits, this meteoric rise has raised concerns that Big Tech has become too big.

He asks if competition law, applied to Big Tech, might be a way to protect consumer privacy, enforce data protection, and ensure freedom of expression.

To that end, on September 15 now rescheduled to take place on October 20 at 10am (Eastern), ITS will host Big Digital Tech and the International Application of Competition Law. Registration is free.

Dr. Robert Picard, a senior fellow at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, University of Oxford, will consider the potential and trade-offs for applying competition law to control big tech. Professor Picard is considered to be a world-leading specialist on media economics and government media policies. Drawing on global experience and international variations in the application of competition law, the webinar will consider mechanisms for intervention, overlaps with other areas of regulations, and possible obstacles to a more ambitious use of competition law to promote and protect digital rights.

As I have highlighted before, I have taken advantage of continuing education opportunities from the International Telecommunications Society, and I have promoted many of these webinars on these pages. ITS serves as “a global platform for industry, policy makers and regulators to create a 360-degree view of an issue from the perspective of different regions and jurisdictions.”

I hope to see you at the September 15 session.