Fowler suggested selling space on the airwaves.

The federal government could make money auctioning space on the airwaves for cellular radio and other communications channels, Mark S. Fowler, chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, told Congress. He made it clear that he would not auction radio and TV licenses. Fowler estimated that the government could have made more than $1 billion if it had auctioned the lucrative cellular radio frequencies that it gave away in the nation’s 90 biggest cities.