Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Should Nextel Give A Little To Get A Little?

From: [email-masked]
Date: Wed, 07 Apr 2004 21:28:42 -0400

Should Nextel Give A Little To Get A Little?
April 7, 2004 5:29pm
Wireless Data News

Vol. 12 No. 6
The gloves are off now where the consensus/balance plan for public
safety is concerned. Now that the FCC is coming down to the wire for
issuing its decision on how re-banding in the 800 MHz range will be
handled (WDF, March 10, p. 1), there have been meetings with
commissioners, open forums at industry events, informational meetings
with the press and some surprising statements made by those on both
sides of the Nextel [NXTL] fence.

As we reported earlier, the subject of re-banding was on the "do not
talk" list at the recent CTIA Wireless 2004 conference in Atlanta, even
though the sparring heads of both Nextel and Verizon Wireless sat on the
same panel during one of the plenary sessions.

After meeting with commissioners last week, Don Brittingham, director of
wireless policy at Verizon Wireless, told Wireless Business Forecast
that FCC Chairman Michael Powell was "committed" to moving the docket
along quickly, perhaps as soon as the April open meeting. Other
commissioners, he says, need more time to ponder the issue, perhaps a
month or more.

In February, Verizon Wireless submitted an ex parte letter to the
commission regarding WT Docket No. 02-55. In his letter, John Scott, the
carrier's vice president and deputy general counsel/regulatory law,
again assailed the consensus plan, saying Nextel's "relies on realigning
the 800 MHz band to eliminate interleaved commercial and public safety
operations. It would address interference from Nextel's operations to
public safety by separating Nextel's and public safety's spectrum and
giving Nextel and public safety contiguous spectrum blocks." He
continued, "While Nextel and public safety believe this realignment is
the right technical solution to interference, the Consensus Plan goes
far beyond in-band realignment. It also would have the commission grant
Nextel, for free, a 10-megahertz block of nationwide, contiguous
spectrum at 1.9 GHz."

This, indeed, continues to be the stumbling block, even though there
still is some question as to whether the balance plan would be
successful in ending the current interleaving situation. "The FCC has no
legal authority to do what Nextel wants," says Brittingham. The Verizon
letter says Nextel should be happy with receiving additional contiguous
spectrum in the 800 MHz band after re-banding, which Verizon Wireless
calls "an additional windfall to Nextel in the amount of $2.3 billion,
i.e., the fair market value of 6 megahertz of contiguous spectrum at 800
MHz (appraised at $3.2 billion) less Nextel's relinquishment of 8.5
megahertz of non-contiguous spectrum at 800 MHz (appraised at $900
million)."

Should Nextel then just give away as much as 2.5 megahertz of spectrum
in some markets, should the balance plan or something like it be
adopted? "Yes," Brittingham told WBF. And that will open a whole new can
of worms.

>>Don Brittingham, 202/589-3785<<
www.telecomweb.com
--

    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

-- 
    "NEXTEL-1 IT'S NOT JUST NEXTEL"
  Note The New address 
Subscribe to Nextel-1: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL-1

  "NEXTEL2 FOR iDEN SOFTWARE DEVELOPERS"
Subscribe to Nextel2: http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/NEXTEL2

  "WIRELESS FORUM HOMELAND SECURITY GROUP"
     The Complete Resource for Wireless Homeland Security.
Subscribe to WFHSG:  http://www.groups.yahoo.com/subscribe/WFHSG

Yahoo! Groups Links

<*> To visit your group on the web, go to:
     http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEXTEL-1/

<*> To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:
     [email-masked]

<*> Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to:
     http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/