A “Capability Brown” of spectrum

A Note on Spectrum Management Policy

Property and Commons models? Or, Garden Design.

Forget the "open spectrum" or "spectrum commons" Blue Skies thinking. Ofcom's philosophy remains firmly planted in the ground of the market-place. The sanctity of the commercial real- estate model. Well, it's more a landed Country Estate really. 

Consider this colourful proposal for a "Capability Brown" broker for spectrum in the market place; in response to 3 years of failure for "substantial spectrum trading" to materialize. Seems we need a "Lions of Longleat" factor to stimulate that spectrum trading? 

[1] 

Ofcom Spectrum Advisory Board. Annual Report 2007 - 2008 [ here x ] 

(...)  In addition, a theme underlying much of OSAB’s discussion during the year was whether there was more that could be done to promote a market in spectrum and to stimulate innovation and investment. Here OSAB stressed the possible need for a “Capability Brown” of spectrum – intermediaries or brokers who could show stakeholders the potential for spectrum they might acquire through auction or in the marketplace in the same way that the landscape gardener Capability Brown was able to show landowners the potential for improvement in their gardens.

[2]
OSAB 19(08)       MINUTES OF THE NINETEENTH  MEETING OF THE OFCOM SPECTRUM ADVISORY BOARD HELD ON MONDAY 21 JANUARY 2008 AT 1.00PM IN ROOM 11.02, RIVERSIDE HOUSE. [ here x ] 

(...)  Item 3: OSAB Annual Workshop and meeting with the Ofcom board 

 
A note of the OSAB Annual Workshop had been circulated with the agenda papers.   
The Chairman, Phillipa Marks, Simon Saunders and Peter Swann had attended the November meeting of the Ofcom Board to report on the work carried out by OSAB over the last six months and to address the question why, after a period of  three years, there was still no substantial spectrum trading.   This had also been a subject considered at the Annual Workshop amongst which the following had been identified:  

a need for a possible change in the business model 

the possibilities for involvement of intermediaries such as brokers, band managers or ‘Capability Browns’ to show businesses the potential uses for spectrum 

possible problems with public sector rules resulting in inefficient spending