ThinkTankWeekly

Unleashing Market Forces for Spectrum Use in Space

CSIS | 2026-04-27 | economy

Topics: Russia, United States, Economy

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English Summary

The article argues that current government-directed spectrum governance, particularly in space, is inherently inefficient and suppresses the economic potential of spectrum use. This inefficiency is driven by outdated rules (such as EPFD limits) designed to protect incumbent users, which create artificial barriers to innovation and efficient resource allocation. While the FCC's proposed rule changes represent a positive step toward modernization, the analysis concludes that truly optimizing spectrum requires a fundamental shift toward market-based mechanisms and legally strong property rights. Policy strategists must recognize that relying solely on regulatory frameworks will fail to match the efficiency of a market-driven system for maximizing resource productivity.

中文摘要

本文論述,當前政府主導的頻譜治理,特別是在太空頻譜領域,本質上是低效的,並抑制了頻譜利用的經濟潛力。這種低效率源於過時的規定(例如EPFD限制),這些規定旨在保護既有用戶,從而為創新和資源配置的效率創造了人工壁壘。雖然美國聯邦通信委員會(FCC)提出的規則修訂代表了現代化的積極步驟,但分析結論指出,真正優化頻譜的關鍵,必須是根本性轉向市場機制和法律保障的財產權。政策策略制定者必須認識到,僅僅依賴監管框架,將無法匹配市場驅動系統在最大化資源生產力方面的效率。

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