Today, the U.S. cellular industry is allotted little more than half the radio spectrum used in European Union countries. Squeezed for bandwidth, costs inflate, and phone call quality declines. Moreover, advanced wireless networks are stymied, starved for spectrum....

Consider wireless telephone licenses. When analog cellular systems were deregulated, operators invested billions to digitize their systems, carefully migrating tens of millions of customers to an upgraded platform while continuing analog service unabated. Because competitive networks were free to flexibly use spectrum, this massive technology switch was smooth and efficient. In contrast, the FCC's 20-year transition to digital television is in shambles, a monument to industrial policy.