Oil in the Ether: A Critical History of Spectrum Auctions in Canada

Canadian Journal of Communication Vol 38 (2013) 121-137

17 Pages Posted: 30 Jul 2014

Date Written: January 01, 2013

Abstract

This article offers a critical history of the growth of the auctioning paradigm as a method of radio spectrum assignment in Canada. It establishes the growing importance of spectrum access as a primary conduit for computer-mediated communication worldwide, and it demonstrates how the rise of auctioning fundamentally challenges the administrative model that has been used for Canadian spectrum assignment for decades. The key junctures raised in the historical development of spectrum auctions include the pioneering theoretical debates of the 1950s, the fundamental changes to telecommunications in the 1980s, and Canada’s gradual acceptance of auctioning as an assignment mechanism in the 1990s. The research is based upon historical studies and scholarly publications as well as primary documents from the Department of Communications and Industry Canada.

Keywords: spectrum, wireless, broadband

Suggested Citation

Taylor, Gregory, Oil in the Ether: A Critical History of Spectrum Auctions in Canada (January 01, 2013). Canadian Journal of Communication Vol 38 (2013) 121-137, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2473272 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2473272

Gregory Taylor (Contact Author)

University of Calgary ( email )

University Drive
Calgary, Alberta T2N 1N4
Canada

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