Wireless Fees to Raise Funds

Obama proposes new wireless spectrum fee on CNET

The Obama administration's proposal was loosely outlined in the new budget plan for 2009 and 2010 submitted Thursday. In that plan, the administration proposes adding a new fee to be paid by wireless carriers that license wireless spectrum from the government. ... These annual fees would start at $50 million in 2009 and jump to $200 million in 2010, Reuters reported. The fees will gradually increase over the next 10 years to $550 million per user per year, generating an estimated total of $4.8 billion over the next decade.

The NTIA is taking appointments according to Xchange magazine.

Companies that want federal grants for building broadband networks can schedule meetings with the National Telecommunications & Information Administration (NTIA) as of March 2. ... The NTIA is doling out $4.7 billion from the broadband portion of the 2009 American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The Agriculture Department’s Rural Utilities Service will oversee administration of the remainder of the $7.2 billion total. ... The meetings will stretch over a period of days, until NTIA officials determine there’s been enough discussion. The substance of all of the talks will become public record.