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Business American telecoms A breath of fresh airwavesyou want
商業 美國電信 呼吸新鮮的電波
The scramble for spectrum could reshape America's telecoms industry
頻譜爭奪戰可能打開美國電信新局面
JULIUS GENACHOWSKI, the head of America's Federal Communications Commission (FCC), has called wireless spectrum "the oxygen that sustains our mobile devices".
美聯邦通訊委員會（FCC）主席JULIUS GENACHOWSKI，將無線通訊頻段稱為"維持移動通訊設備工作的氧氣"，
Yet unlike oxygen, the airwaves over which telecoms companies transmit their wireless signals are in ever shorter supply.
但與氧氣不同的是，如今電信公司用來傳輸無線訊號的波段比以往更加短缺。
According to the FCC's calculations, America needs to make 300 megahertz (MHz) of additional spectrum available by 2014 to avoid a "crunch" that drives up consumers' mobile-phone bills and holds back innovation.
據委員會估計，為免移動電話用戶賬單攀升，創新停滯不前，引發"頻譜危機"，到2014年美國需要新增300兆赫茲頻段投入使用。
Some critics reckon the regulator's projections are too pessimistic.
有的評論家認為委員會的預測太過悲觀，
But telecoms firms say an explosion of wireless data triggered by smartphones and tablet computers is indeed soaking up capacity fast. Hence the scramble for more airwaves.
但電信公司指出，由智能機和平板電腦所引發的無線通訊數據的激增，實際上正快速占據頻帶容量，面向更多頻段的爭奪進而產生。
On December 2nd Verizon Wireless, the country's largest mobile operator, announced a $3.6 billion deal to buy spectrum from several cable-television companies.
12月2日，美國最大的移動通訊運營商威瑞森無線通訊公司（Verizon Wireless）宣布斥資36億美金從幾家有線電視公司手中收購波段。
AT&T, another telecoms behemoth, has been telling anyone who will listen that its $39 billion bid for T-Mobile USA, a smaller rival, should be approved in part because it would ease a capacity headache: AT&T has plenty of capital but needs more spectrum, while T-Mobile has the airwaves but lacks the capital to exploit them fully.
另一家電信巨頭AT&T也正試圖讓每一個關心的人相信，它對T-Mobile USA這個小公司的價值390億的收購企劃應得以通過，部分原因是如此可緩和波段緊缺的困難：AT&T有足夠的資金但需要更大的帶寬，然而T-Mobile 有帶寬卻缺少充分開發利用的資金。
The snag is that allowing AT&T and T-Mobile to merge would stifle competition in the wireless market—which is why both the Department of Justice and the FCC oppose it.
問題在于，若允許AT&T 和T-Mobile合并，就會破壞無線市場的競爭公平——這就是為什么司法部和聯邦通訊委員會都反對它們合并。
AT&T and Deutsche Telekom, T-Mobile's German parent, have pledged to fight on, but the merger's chances are slim.
AT&T 和 T-Mobile 的母公司德國電信（Deutsche Telekom）已承諾會繼續爭取，但合并的希望渺茫。
Verizon's deal, by contrast, will probably be cleared by the FCC, which must approve transfers of licensed spectrum.
相反，委員會卻極有可能會同意Verizon的交易，因為它沒有權力阻止已得到使用許可的波段的易主。
Could more wireless capacity be liberated from other businesses that do not need it?
可以從其他行業釋放出更多的無線通訊空間嗎？
The FCC thinks so.
它們并不需要那么多。
It has come up with a proposal to persuade TV companies to part with some of their airwaves.
聯邦通訊委員會覺得可行，它已起草一項提案建議說服電視公司出讓它們的部分波段。
It would solicit spectrum from broadcasters and then repackage it into larger lots to be sold in an auction. The revenue raised would be shared between the government and the broadcasters.
委員會將設法從電視臺買來波段，然后將之重新包裝合并，進行拍賣，籌集的收入由政府和電視臺分成。
The FCC thinks this could release up to 120MHz of TV broadcast spectrum.
委員會認為如此可釋放多達120MHz的電視廣播頻段。
TV companies could instead sell their holdings to telecoms companies directly.
實際上，電視臺也可以直接向電信公司出售頻段，但轉手的很可能是許多短小細碎的波段。
But this would probably mean lots of tiny, fragmented packets of airwaves changing hands. Wireless operators will pay more for large, contiguous parcels of spectrum, which is why the FCC wants to orchestrate the process.
為購買大容量連續帶寬無線運營公司將需要付出更多金錢，這也正是聯邦通訊委員會想要精心策劃這項進程的原因。
Legislation to give it permission to do so is making its way through Congress. It may be passed by the end of the year.
為使委員會具有操作權限，相關法規正在議會進行審核。這項法規大概會在年底之前可以通過。
But some broadcasters have given warning that the plan could hurt some stations.
但是一些廣播公司提出警告，這項計劃可能會傷害某些電視臺的利益。
"We're concerned this will have unintended consequences," says Alan Frank, the chief executive of Post-Newsweek Stations, which has operations in Detroit, San Antonio and other cities.
Alan Frank是Post-Newsweek 電視臺的首席執行官，該臺在底特律，圣安東尼奧及其他城市均設有業務，他說："我們擔心這項舉措會產生意想不到的后果"。
TV folk fret that the FCC wants to be able to force stations to swap channels if necessary, even if they do not take part in the auction, so that it can create attractive parcels.
電視工作者擔心委員會擬定法案是想在必要的時候迫使他們轉換頻道，以便構成更可觀的波段組合，即使這些頻道并沒有參與拍賣。
This will raise their costs and could lead to the disappearance of some stations in cities near the Mexican and Canadian borders, where TV spectrum is already limited.
這種做法會提高電視臺的運營成本，同時可能導致臨近墨西哥、加拿大的邊境城市里的部分電視臺消失，因為在那里頻帶資源本就很有限。
Such concerns can be dealt with.
這樣的擔憂是可以解決的。
Legislators are likely to create a fund to compensate broadcasters who have to move channels. And they will probably require the FCC to try hard to preserve existing TV coverage when it repackages airwaves.
立法者也許會設立一項基金用以補償那些不得不轉換頻道的電視廣播公司，并且他們很有可能要求聯邦通訊委員會在重組波段的時候，盡力保全現存的電視頻道覆蓋范圍。
Congress's enthusiasm to get something done is understandable.
國會熱衷于達成一些成就的心理是可以理解的。
For one thing, an auction will raise billions of dollars for the public purse.
一方面，一場拍賣會能為國庫籌集到數十億美元的資金；
For another, it will create jobs by encouraging firms to invest in their networks.
另一方面，通過鼓勵公司投資網路可以創造就業機會。
Failure to act would send the wrong signal to one of America's fastest-growing industries.
而若舉措不當則將會向這一全美都發展迅猛的產業發送錯誤的訊息。
