Cell phones, hand-held personal digital assistants, laptop computers and other wireless devices need spectrum space to function.
Yet even if the carriers do eventually receive more wireless spectrum space, they need to institute a better emergency priority system.
As a result, they say, the only solution to the current shortage of available spectrum space is a negotiated settlement between the telephone companies and the broadcasters.
Rather than employ additional spectrum space like digital TV, AM and FM stations can broadcast digitally on an unused part of their existing frequencies.
They were mostly unaffected by the switch, which will allow state-of-the-art wireless services and emergency communications to exist on the newly available analog spectrum space.
Should broadcasters like Murdoch have to bid on extra channels that technology will make available, or should this extra spectrum space be a gift to existing broadcasters?
The broadcasters' sliver of spectrum space, occupying channels 60to6969 in many major markets, was given to them free by Congress four years ago.
Verizon, for one, had more than $1 billion tied up in down payments on spectrum space, and wanted to be awarded the spectrum license or have the money refunded; what it did not want was an auction.
Overseas, there are signs of concern among European carriers, which spent nearly $100 billion last year in Germany, Britain and other countries to acquire radio spectrum space for the development of wireless networks capable of handling large amounts of Internet data.
