Open Spectrum for Development

The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) has developed a website to feature materials produced from its initiative "Open Spectrum from Development". The "open spectrum" initiative aims to provide an understanding of spectrum regulation by examining the situation in Africa, Asia, and Latin America. It looks at how spectrum is assigned, who assigns it, and what policy or regulatory frameworks are being used. The research of this project is intended to raise awareness of what’s at stake in the regulation of the frequency spectrum, review models of spectrum allocation, examine arguments that proclaim the scarcity of spectrum and contribute to the development of a Citizen’s Guide to the Airwaves.

From a technical viewpoint, spectrum is the range of electromagnetic waves that can be used to transmit information. From a practical point of view, however, the effective management of spectrum embraces not only electromagnetic waves, but the technology used to transmit those waves, as well as the economic and political aspects of what is now a valuable national resource. 

The website offers links to related publications and studies, policy briefs and case studies, and reports from participating countries on their current state of spectrum regulation. Participating countries consist of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Kenya, Nigeria, Peru, South Africa, and Venezuela.

The online resource, Citizen's Guide to the Airwaves, provides overview information on the following topics:

• What is the electromagnetic spectrum?
• How is spectrum managed?
• Explosion in spectrum demand.
• Spectrum scarcity or spectrum hoarding?
• Developing countries advantage.
• Advocacy opportunities.