Yesterday, Art Brodsky said in the
Public Knowledge Blog that not being ?allowed to play favorites? has been part
of transportation for 100 years. And in the Commission?s recent
report on rural
broadband, the
National Highway System (?NHS?) was used as an example of
America?s ability to overcome its infrastructure challenges. But favorites are
played on the nation?s roadways, and the NHS includes only 4% of the nation?s
roads.
So what does America?s experience with building the nation?s roads tell us about
broadband, especially mobile broadband? (I note that Anna-Maria Kovacs at
Regulatory Source Associates did a similar piece yesterday, but I explore
different aspects of the analogy below.)
Guaranteed Speed. Like mobile wireless systems, the roadways are a shared
infrastructure. Although a highway may be designed to handle traffic ?up to? 55
mph, during rush hour traffic often slows considerably ? and in many cities
slows to a standstill. The available speed of travel on a typical highway
changes throughout the day depending on the level of demand at any given point
in time. It also changes throughout the week ? holiday weekends are often busier
than non-holiday weekends. This is the nature of inherently shared networks,
which may explain why transportation engineers don?t provide ?guaranteed?
speeds.
Traffic Management. That doesn?t mean that transportation engineers stand
idly by when traffic congestion threatens the usability of a particular road. Transportation engineers have devised numerous ways of dealing with traffic
congestion.
A common method is to limit use of certain lanes or even the entire road at
certain times to certain vehicles ? i.e., ?high occupancy vehicles? or ?HOV?,
which often includes motorcycles or vehicles using hybrid technology. Thus, a
driver?s choice of vehicle may dictate whether, when, and how that driver may
use certain roadways. In other words, a driver of a ?gas hog? may be excluded
from a particular roadway, even if that driver has excellent reasons for using
that type of vehicle (e.g., an accessible van driven by a person with
disabilities or a low-income driver that cannot afford a more modern alternative
that would qualify for HOV privileges).
Traffic engineers are also increasingly using ?congestion pricing? to reduce
traffic congestion during peak demand. In some instances, a fee is charged for
using HOV lanes, which are known as ?high occupancy toll? or ?HOT? lanes. Another form of congestion pricing is to reduce existing toll rates outside the
hours of peak demand.
Some oppose government traffic management methodologies on the grounds of
discrimination. The National Motorists Association (?NMA?) argues that drivers
should have ?[c]omplete access to all public streets, roads, and highways, free
of arbitrary restrictions, exorbitant fees, or governmental attempts to dictate
personal travel choices.? For example, according to the NMA, HOV rules that
allow certain vehicle types inherently discriminate among drivers based on their
choice of vehicle. But such opposition has not eliminated the use of HOV
restrictions by government officials, who recognize the very real challenges of
traffic management.
Financing Construction. Transportation engineers also use various methods
to fund new construction. Although tax dollars are the most common method of
funding roadway construction and maintenance, some roads (especially highways)
are built and maintained using a form of metered pricing ? i.e.,
tolls. Tolls
may vary according to the distance traveled, the building and maintenance costs
of the roadway, and the type of vehicle.
When building its roadway system, the United States also took into account
differences between sparsely populated rural areas and more densely populated
urban areas. The United States does not offer the same types of roads to both
urban and rural areas. According to the Bureau of Transportation Statistics,
approximately
35 percent of the roads in the United States are still unpaved. When balancing the costs and benefits of building paved roads to every house in
America, the United States has decided that the benefits of paved roads are
outweighed by their cost in many rural areas.
Fees for Heavy Users. Due to the additional congestion and impact on road
surfaces caused by the trucking industry, it is not surprising that the trucking
industry pays additional taxes and tolls for use of the nation?s roadways. All
federal trucking industry taxes are earmarked for the
Federal Highway Trust Fund
(?HTF?). The HTF was designed as a user-supported fund, and it is the primary
source of revenue for the interstate highway system and various other
federal-aid highway programs. Although all users pay into the fund through fuel
taxes, diesel fuel used by the commercial trucking industry is taxed at a higher
rate than gasoline (diesel is 24.4 cents per gallon compared to gasoline?s 18.4
cents per gallon). Commercial tires are similarly taxed at a higher rate than
non-commercial tires. Perhaps most relevant to the broadband analogy is the
Federal Heavy Vehicle Use Tax, which is imposed on all vehicles with a gross
weight of more than 55,000 pounds, and
federal excise taxes, which are imposed
on all new tractor and trailer purchases. Thus, where our highways are
concerned, the federal government has expressly embraced the idea that heavy
users of a shared resource should pay more for that use.
Mobile Wireless. Mobile wireless network engineers face many of the same
challenges that confront transportation officials. Like America?s roadways,
mobile wireless networks are shared infrastructure subject to congestion that
must be managed through various techniques, including through limitations on
certain types of applications (wireless ?HOV? restrictions) and congestion
pricing. Also like roadways, broadband networks are costly to build, especially
in rural areas. Just as rural America has been connected largely with unpaved
roads, mobile wireless technologies are a more cost-effective solution for rural
areas than fiber to the home. And, like the Federal government does with the
commercial trucking industry, it makes sense to charge particularly heavy users
of mobile networks more than typical users.
Fred B. Campbell, Jr. is the Wireless Communications Association International (WCAI)
Acting President and CEO. He most recently served as the Wireless Bureau Chief
at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), overseeing domestic wireless
services.
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