Okay ... this one has sat here long enough. Here's my take on how things should be done ...
1. spectrum management is a technical problem, not a bureaucratic one.
Devices that can share spectrum in a collaborative / cooperative way are coming. Look at mesh networks as an example. Why everyone tries to solve technical problems with PhD economists' solutions is beyond me. It's NOT a commodity - it's a SHARED resource.
Using a roadway as an example - you build traffic lights and / or overpasses to allow conflicting traffic to share the same space. You don't auction off the intersection! Sheesh.
2. exclusive-use spectrum should be a LEASE, not an auction (with a use-it or loose-it clause).
This whole auction thing is freq'in retarded.
Whew ... I feel better now!
-rick