Wireless Competition Under Spectrum Exhaust (CliffsNotes Edition)…

February 8th, 2012 | Posted by George Ford in Federal Communications Commission | Incentive Auctions | Incumbent Exclusion Rules | Industry Structure and Market Performance | Regulation | Spectrum | Spectrum Exhaust | Wireless - (1 Comments)

As noted in our earlier blog posts, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski seems to be of two minds when it comes to spectrum policy.  On one hand, he has taken great pains throughout his tenure to warn about the crucial issue of spectrum exhaust for commercial spectrum.  As also noted in our earlier blog posts, the FCC under Chairman Genachowski has at the same time expressed grave concerns about the concentrated nature of the U.S. wireless market in its CMRS Reports and, as such, has condemned large transactions such as AT&T/T-Mobile and imposed a de facto spectrum cap when it approved the creation of the company …
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The Effect of Spectrum Exhaust on Mobile Market Structure and Performance…

February 2nd, 2012 | Posted by George Ford in Federal Communications Commission | Incentive Auctions | Incumbent Exclusion Rules | Industry Structure and Market Performance | Law and Economics | Mobile Broadband | Regulation | Spectrum | Spectrum Exhaust | Wireless - (Comments Off)

In an effort to address the current spectrum crunch for commercial spectrum, Congress is working on legislation to empower the FCC to hold voluntary incentive auctions to facilitate the transfer spectrum from broadcasters to mobile carriers.  FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski, among others, are complaining loudly that the House version of the bill unduly constricts the FCC’s ability to manipulate the mobile industry by excluding some bidders from the auction (primarily the nation’s two most successful wireless firms that a little more than half of all Americans have chosen as their wireless carrier).  As Larry explained in a post dated January 17 and again in a …
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Data Roaming, Spectrum Auctions, and the Widening of the Broadband Credibility Gap…

January 31st, 2012 | Posted by Larry Spiwak in Broadband Credibility Gap | Data Roaming | Federal Communications Commission | Incentive Auctions | Incumbent Exclusion Rules | Net Neutrality | Regulation | Regulatory Reform | Spectrum | Spectrum Exhaust | Wireless - (2 Comments)

As I noted in my January 17th blog post, FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is complaining loudly that the bill now pending before the House Energy & Commerce Committee would unduly constrict the agency’s ability to condition any voluntary incentive auction for much-needed beachfront broadcast spectrum.  Recently, former FCC Chairman Reed Hundt came to his protégé’s defense, noting that: no one will benefit if Congress insists on telling the FCC—as the House bill does—who is eligible to bid or how the auction should be conducted. To have an efficient, fair, unpoliticized, neutral, pro-market auction the FCC should continue to be an auctioneer that is above political …
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Why GigaOM has it Wrong on the Comcast/Verizon Spectrum Deal…

January 24th, 2012 | Posted by Larry Spiwak in Federal Communications Commission | Incumbent Exclusion Rules | Industry Structure and Market Performance | Law and Economics | Regulation | Spectrum | Spectrum Exhaust | Wireless - (2 Comments)

This past Sunday, Kevin Fitchard wrote a piece in GigaOm entitled If Comcast Can’t Make It in the Wireless Biz, Who Can?  In this piece, Mr. Fitchard laments that Comcast’s decision to sell its AWS spectrum to, and enter into a joint marketing agreement with, Verizon, rather than construct their own 4G network, “raises some troubling questions about the state of the U.S. wireless industry.”  According to Mr. Fitchard, “if a company with a $71 billion market cap and deep roots in the telecom service provider business can’t make a go of the wireless business, what hope is there for any newcomer?”  Mr. Fitchard asks …
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Julius Genachowski’s Speech at CES Part 2…

January 18th, 2012 | Posted by George Ford in Federal Communications Commission | Incentive Auctions | Incumbent Exclusion Rules | Spectrum | Wireless - (Comments Off)
Spectrum Caps 01

Most industry experts and pundits agree that the U.S. needs more spectrum in the hands of commercial mobile broadband providers.  To this end, Congress should be commended for their efforts to pass legislation to give the Federal Communications Commission the authority to hold voluntary incentive auctions to help facilitate the transfer of prime spectrum from broadcasters to mobile broadband providers.  As noted yesterday in Larry’s post, however, last week at CES FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski blasted a bill currently working its way through the House Energy and Commerce Committee because the proposed legislation would eliminate the FCC’s ability to preclude certain companies from participating in …
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Julius Genachowski’s Speech at CES Part 1…

January 17th, 2012 | Posted by Larry Spiwak in Broadband Credibility Gap | Federal Communications Commission | Incentive Auctions | Incumbent Exclusion Rules | Net Neutrality | Regulation | Spectrum - (Comments Off)

For those interested in spectrum policy, I would commend folks to read FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski’s speech at the Consumer Electronic Show (CES) last week. The Chairman began his speech by acknowledging once again that because America is facing looming spectrum exhaust, Congress should quickly pass legislation authorizing the FCC to conduct voluntary spectrum auctions for the purpose of transferring television broadcast spectrum to mobile broadband providers.  Indeed, the Chairman noted that absent that ability for wireless carriers to access more spectrum, “American consumers will face slower speeds, more dropped connections, and higher prices.”  (To illustrate this point, see the recent article in Forbes reporting …
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