Public Interest Groups to FCC: Save Our Spectrum
A new coalition of consumer and media policy groups is urging the FCC to foster open competition and consumer choice in upcoming spectrum auctions. Try to attend the press conference on Thursday, 5 April 2007. With the Federal Communications Commission about to conduct a multibillion-dollar spectrum auction, a coalition of consumer and media policy groups is seeking rules to maximize competition for wireless broadband.
At a press conference Thursday and in new filings with the FCC, the groups — which include Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, Free Press, Media Access Project, New America Foundation and Public Knowledge — are asking the FCC to ensure open access to this valuable portion of the public airwaves. They also want the companies licensed to use this spectrum to respect Network Neutrality.
WHAT: Telephone press conference
WHEN: Thursday, April 5, 1 p.m. ET
WHO:
* Michael Calabrese, vice president, New America Foundation
* Jeannine Kenney, senior policy analyst, Consumers Union
* Andrew Jay Schwartzman, president, Media Access Project
* Ben Scott, policy director, Free Press
* Gigi Sohn, president, Public Knowledge
***To join the conference, call 973-582-2855 and give the code #8650285***
RSVP to
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I am afraid what might happen here is that the FCC will accommodate this group by setting aside the White Space (Channel 55)segment of the Spectrum for Unlicensed use and keep the premium 700Mhz spectrum for the big boys to bid on.
What this group should be fighting for, and will have a better chance at winning, is to convince the FCC to allow the small service providers to bid on the spectrum in their Economic Areas (EA) and or Cellular Market Areas (CMA) markets as they did in the AWS Auction which was a massive success ($$$) for the Fed.
If they only allow bidding in the 6 large regions (SE etc)they will effectively hand all the spectrum to the big CellCo/RBOC or even MSO’s who wil lhave little of no incetive to address Rural Markets.
The FCC will avoid the Net Neutrality issue like the plague.
Jacomo