Subject: [NEXTEL-1] US lawmakers seek to delay FCC airwaves swap deal

From: "marcel_rf1" <[email-masked]>
Date: Thu, 08 Jul 2004 03:25:19 -0000

US lawmakers seek to delay FCC airwaves swap deal
Wednesday July 7, 7:12 pm ET

WASHINGTON, July 7 (Reuters) - U.S. communications regulators should 
delay voting on a plan to swap airwaves with Nextel Communications 
Inc. until congressional investigators have reviewed it, leaders of 
the U.S. House Judiciary Committee said in a letter obtained by 
Reuters on Wednesday.
The Federal Communications
Commission is expected on
Thursday to approve a plan in which
Nextel (NasdaqNM:NXTL - News)
would turn in some airwaves it has in
the 800 megahertz band in
exchange for spectrum it wants in
the 1.9 gigahertz band, despite
opposition from rival carriers.

The FCC has been trying to resolve
interference between commercial
providers and public safety
organizations in the 800 Mhz band.
Nextel has agreed to pay $850
million to cover the costs of
reorganizing that and $512 million to
move some operations by
broadcasters out of the 1.9 Ghz band.

Verizon Wireless, which has waged a campaign against the swap, has 
warned FCC officials that they could face criminal charges if they 
approve a plan that enriches a private party without congressional 
approval.
"We would ask that the commission not take any action until the 
General Accounting Office completes its investigation of the proposed 
plan," said Reps. James Sensenbrenner and John Conyers, the panel's 
Republican chairman and ranking Democrat.
"We are certain you would agree that taking action would be 
inappropriate while a cloud of doubt lingers over the legality of such 
a plan," they said in a letter sent to FCC Chairman Michael Powell.
The GAO has committed to investigate the issue, according to a 
spokesman for Sen.  Frank Lautenberg, a Democrat from New Jersey, the 
state in which Verizon Wireless is headquartered.
Spokesmen for the FCC and Nextel declined to comment. Nextel has 
previously denied that FCC officials could face criminal charges for 
approving the plan.
Verizon Wireless, a joint venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE:VZ - 
News) and Vodafone Group Plc (London:VOD.L - News), wants the airwaves 
in the 1.9 Ghz band to be auctioned to the highest bidder and has 
offered to start the bidding at $5 billion.

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