Wireless may get gov't. incentives

FCC chairman Julius Genachowski at a CES presentation this afternoon noted that the US government is considering offering incentives to companies to develop more efficient apps and hardware. While he didn't say what this would involve, the official suggested that the agency may reward companies who make better use of wireless spectrum and reduce the strain they put on the network.

The possible terms of such a plan weren't mentioned, but Genachowski admitted that nothing was definite as it depended on the avenues the government can legally take. It may be an area the government can't necessarily get involved in, he added.

A possible move would reflect the FCC head's continued view that a "spectrum gap" still exists in the US, where carriers often have limited wireless frequencies to use for services that are becoming increasingly overloaded. Most of the Commission's efforts have veered towards opening the amount of licensable spectrum, such as allowing secondary licenses on the same frequency or being more flexible in how and what's being licensed, including "white spaces" between unused TV airwaves.

Software optimization has been a controversial subject for frequency use as critics have attributed conflicting levels of importance to the subject. Some have gone as far as to blame Apple for AT&T's frequently overburdened 3G network as they claim that the iPhone isn't properly optimized for the wireless network. Opponents, however, have noted that the iPhone works properly in Canada and other countries where the iPhone often has heavy usage and more than one carrier.

By Electronista Staff