Subject: [NEXTEL-1] FCC pulls 800 MHz vote from April 15th Agenda

From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2004 04:36:53 -0400

FCC pulls 800 MHz from April 15 agenda

Verizon offers $5B for 1.9 GHz spectrum 

by HEATHER FORSGREN WEAVER
April 09, 2004

WASHINGTON

The Federal Communications Commission got doubly spooked 
Thursday and decided not to vote on its plan to solve public-
safety interference in the 800 MHz band at its meeting April 15. 

Thursday started badly for FCC staff with a Washington Post 
article that said the deal was done, and the winner was Nextel 
Communications Inc. 

“Approval of the plan could deliver a major blow to Nextel’s rival
cellular carriers, who have spent a great deal of time lobbying the FCC
to auction off the spectrum Nextel wants, arguing that not doing so
would give away billions of dollars worth of public resources. Nextel
has argued that its existing proposal is sufficient payment for the new
airwaves, which are considered particularly efficient for carrying
cellular and high-speed Internet traffic,” said the Washington Post. 

Although news leaks in Washington are common practice, no one is happy
when it happens this close to a scheduled meeting. The story gave those
opposed to the Consensus Plan another opportunity to convince the FCC to
take more time before making a decision. 

What happened next put the nail in the April 15 coffin. As the
end-of-the-week-closing bell was ringing on Wall Street (the markets are
closed today for Good Friday), Verizon Wireless, which had been urging
an auction of spectrum in the 1.9 GHz band, said its opening bid would
be $5 billion if an auction was held. 

“Verizon Wireless remains ready to participate in an immediate auction
of a nationwide license for the 10 megahertz (specifically the
1910-1915/1990-1995 MHz). We are prepared to submit an initial, opening
round bid of $5 billion. Our willingness to bid depends on the FCC’s
designation of the bands for a nationwide broadband PCS license and the
adoption of the PCS rules for the spectrum,” said Molly Feldman, Verizon
Wireless vice president of business development. 

The FCC will continue debating the proposal as even more ideas are
floated. An example of this was Andrew Seybold’s 4Mobility column
Thursday, which suggested that if Nextel was awarded the spectrum at 1.9
GHz, it should be required to turn off any system that is causing
public-safety interference. 

“It is clear that the plan before the FCC is not the best for all
concerned, nor is it really a ‘consensus plan’ as it is being billed. It
is a plan that will cause many problems for years to come. Meanwhile,
Nextel will happily begin using its new 10 megahertz of spectrum to
provide services, and it won’t have any motivation to work quickly to
resolve the problems it created by deviating from the rules (with the
buy-in of the FCC). If Nextel is ‘given’ this spectrum, which appears
probable, it should be required to build out its 1.9 GHz system and turn
off the offending 800 MHz band system in every area where it is causing
interference,” wrote industry analyst Seybold. 

http://rcrnews.com/cgi-bin/news.pl?newsId=17648

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Buy Ink Cartridges or Refill Kits for your HP, Epson, Canon or Lexmark
Printer at MyInks.com.  Free s/h on orders $50 or more to the US & Canada.
http://www.c1tracking.com/l.asp?cid=5511
http://us.click.yahoo.com/mOAaAA/3exGAA/qnsNAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

-- 
    "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/