Washington, DC – The Computer & Communications Industry Association today asked President Bush to devote a large swath of the nation’s underused airwaves to high-speed, wireless voice and data services.
CCIA, together with seven other trade associations, urged the White House to make good on a proposal that would give consumers the bandwidth they need to surf the Web and complete other data-intensive tasks on the road just as quickly as they do at home now. The new airwaves would also link a coming wave of “intelligent” appliances, autos, vending machines and other devices that promise to make all of our lives easier.
Other signers of the letter included the Cellular Telecommunications & Internet Association, the Computer Systems Policy Project, the Consumer Electronics Association, the Electronic Industries Alliance, the Information Technology Industry Council, the Telecommunications Industry Association and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
“Economists tell us that America’s economic power is rooted in its unmatched mastery of information and communications technologies,” CCIA President Ed Black said. “The Council of Economic Advisors says we will gain $500 billion in economic growth over the next 10 years if this proposal goes through. Yet, other countries — Japan, Korea and Germany among them — are already leapfrogging our efforts with their own high-speed networks. Our economy needs this spectrum, and it needs it now.”