Spectrum Panel Seeks To Balance Wireless, U.S. Security

WASHINGTON — Representatives of the wireless and semiconductor industries along with military contractors and public-safety officials were named to a federal panel that will advise the government on spectrum issues.

The 18-member panel named by Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez includes executives from antenna specialist ArrayComm, (San Jose, Calif.) , Intel Corp., Motorola Inc, Shared Spectrum Co. (Vienna, Va.) and Sprint Nextel Corp. Other technology companies and groups represented on the panel are from the Enterprise Wireless Alliance (McLean, Va.), Mobile Satellite Ventures (Reston, Va.), Freedom Technologies Inc. and Clearwire Corp. (both of Washington), CoCo Communications (Seattle) and Lockheed Martin Corp. (Arlington, Va.).

Members from the financial sector include executives from Legg Strategies (Knifley, Ky.) and New York-based Cantor Fitzgerald.

Two former Federal Communications Commission officials were also appointed to the spectrum committee. They are Robert Pepper, former FCC policy chief and now a senior managing director for Cisco Systems, and Dale Hatfield, former FCC chief engineer who now teaches at the University of Colorado.

Robert Gurss of the Association of Public-Safety Communications Officials (Washington) will represent the interests of law enforcement and emergency services. Also named to the spectrum committee was James Lewis, director of the technology and public policy program at the Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies. Gutierrez said a key issue for the panel will be finding ways to balance growing demand for wireless and broadband services with the needs of public safety, homeland security and military requirements. The advisory panel will report to John Kneuer, acting assistant commerce secretary for communications and information.