FED-DOCS Y 4.G 74/7:R 11/17 U.S. PREPARATION FOR THE WORLD RADIO HEARING BEFORE THE SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, RELATIONS OF THE COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES ONE HUNDRED EIGHTH CONGRESS SECOND SESSION MARCH 17, 2004 Serial No. 108-180 Printed for the use of the Committee on Government Reform Available via the World Wide Web: http://www.gpo.gov/congress/house http://www.house.gov/reform 95-268 PDF U.S. GOVERNMENT PRINTING OFFICE WASHINGTON: 2004 DEPOSITORY For sale by the Superintendent of Documents, U.S. Government Printing Office 2040 0 9 2004 STANFORD UNIVERSITY DAN BURTON, Indiana TOM DAVIS, Virginia, Chairman CHRISTOPHER SHAYS, Connecticut DOUG OSE, California RON LEWIS, Kentucky JO ANN DAVIS, Virginia TODD RUSSELL PLATTS, Pennsylvania CANDICE S. MILLER, Michigan KATHERINE HARRIS, Florida HENRY A. WAXMAN, California JOHN F. TIERNEY, Massachusetts DIANE E. WATSON, California STEPHEN F. LYNCH, Massachusetts CHRIS VAN HOLLEN, Maryland LINDA T. SANCHEZ, California C.A. "DUTCH" RUPPERSBERGER, Maryland ELEANOR HOLMES NORTON, District of Columbia JIM COOPER, Tennessee BERNARD SANDERS, Vermont (Independent) MELISSA WOJCIAK, Staff Director DAVID MARIN, Deputy Staff Director/Communications Director GRACE WASHBOURNE, Professional Staff Member TERESA AUSTIN, Chief Clerk PHIL BARNETT, Minority Chief of Staff/Chief Counsel CONTENTS Bryant, John, former Congressman and U.S. Ambassador to 1997 World Radio Conference; Gail Schoettler, U.S. Ambassador to 2000 World Radio Conference; and Janice Obuchowski, U.S. Ambassador to 2003 Shane, Jeffrey N., Under Secretary for Transportation Policy, U.S. De- partment of Transportation; William Readdy, Associate Administrator for Space Flight, National Aeronautic and Space Administration; Mi- chael Gallagher, Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, National Telecommunications and Information Adminis- tration, U.S. Department of Commerce; Kathleen Abernathy, Commis- sioner, Federal Communications Commission; Ambassador David Gross, U.S. Coordinator, International Communications and Informa- tion Policy, U.S. Department of State; and Lin Wells, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Networks and Information Integration,. Letters, statements, etc., submitted for the record by: Abernathy, Kathleen, Commissioner, Federal Communications Commis- Bryant, John, former Congressman and U.S. Ambassador to 1997 World Gallagher, Michael, Acting Assistant Secretary for Communications and Information, National Telecommunications and Information Adminis- tration, U.S. Department of Commerce, prepared statement of Gross, Ambassador David, U.S. Coordinator, International Communica- tions and Information Policy, U.S. Department of State, prepared state- Obuchowski, Janice, U.S. Ambassador to 2003 World Radio Conference, Readdy, William, Associate Administrator for Space Flight, National Aeronautic and Space Administration, prepared statement of Schoettler, Gail, U.S. Ambassador to 2000 World Radio Conference, pre- 104 Wells, Lin, Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, Networks 68 U.S. PREPARATION FOR THE WORLD RADIO CONFERENCES: TOO LITTLE, TOO LATE? WEDNESDAY, MARCH 17, 2004 HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES, SUBCOMMITTEE ON NATIONAL SECURITY, EMERGING COMMITTEE ON GOVERNMENT REFORM, Washington, DC. The subcommittee met, pursuant to notice, at 10:14 a.m., in room 2154, Rayburn House Office Building, Hon. Michael Turner (vicechairman of the subcommittee) presiding. Present: Representatives Shays, Platts, Duncan, Ruppersberger, and Watson. Staff present: Lawrence Halloran, staff director and counsel; R. Nicholas Palarino, senior policy advisor; Thomas Costa, professional staff member; Robert Briggs, clerk; Grace Washbourne, professional staff member, full committee; Jean Gosa, minority assistant clerk; and Andrew Su, minority professional staff member. Mr. TURNER. Good morning. Our hearing this morning, entitled, "U.S. Preparation for the World Radio Conferences: Too Little, Too late," is called to order. Last June, a White House memo to all executive branch departments and agencies concluded the existing legal and policy framework for spectrum management has not kept pace with the dramatic changes in technology and spectrum use. Today we will discuss one element of that dated policy apparatus-the internal preparations and external consultations used by the Department of State and other Federal departments to prepare for World Radio Conferences, the international meetings where critical decisions are made that shape worldwide communication policies and markets. Spectrum is global. Spectrum is finite. Immutable laws of physics govern the electromagnetic waves that connect the world's governments, businesses, and citizens in new ways every day. Any nation that cannot articulate clear positions, protect its vital interests, and work to forge multilateral consensus on spectrum issues puts its national security and economic vitality at risk. Unilateralism is not an option. An analog America would not be safe or prosperous in a digital world. The World Radio Conference in Geneva, Switzerland, last year challenged the United States to formulate timely, technically complex, and politically sensitive positions on a large number of agenda items. Many Federal agencies, including the Department of Defense, NASA, and the FAA depend on exclusive, long-term access (1) |