Treating the Wireless Spectrum as a Natural Resource
Environmental Law Reporter, Vol. 35, p. 10620, September 2005
10 Pages
Posted: 3 Sep 2005
Catholic University of Leuven (KUL) - Interdisciplinary Center for Law and Information Technology (ICRI); Google Inc.; University of Colorado at Boulder, Interdisciplinary Telecommunications Program
Abstract
As this Article demonstrates, most experts agree that the electromagnetic spectrum is a vital natural resource. Yet European and U.S. governments fail to treat it as such. The author looks at contributions made by two scholars, Ronald Coase's public trust doctrine and Garrett Hardin's tragedy of the commons, and examines their influence on the debate surrounding the electromagnetic spectrum's classification as a natural resource. The author then addresses sustainability concerns and argues that as is the case with all natural resources, a balance between overexploitation and underexploitation is needed in the management of the spectrum.
Keywords: Wireless spectrum, tragedy of the commons, Ronald Coase, Garrett Hardin, sustainable consumption
JEL Classification: K10, K32
Suggested Citation:
Suggested Citation
Ryan, Patrick S., Treating the Wireless Spectrum as a Natural Resource. Environmental Law Reporter, Vol. 35, p. 10620, September 2005. Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=793526
