FCC Sets Rules for Next Year’s Airwaves Auction
Press Release - August 2, 2007
The U.S. Federal Communications Commission announced the rules earlier this week for a major auction of wireless airwaves expected to take place early next year.
Regulators voted to endorse a proposal by FCC Chairman, Kevin Martin, which stipulates that one-third of the spectrum sold must be subject to an “open access” requirement. This means that customers will be able to use any device and any software over these airwaves, without restrictions imposed by wireless carriers.
“I am committed to ensuring that the fruits of wireless innovation swiftly pass into the hand of consumers,” Martin explained. “American consumers are too often asked to throw away their old phones and buy new ones if they want to switch cell phone carriers.”
Martin’s proposal is also expected weaken the “walled garden” strategy used by many carriers to prevent customers from using third party applications. It stops well short of an earlier “open access” proposal by Google, however, which would have greatly weakened the control service providers have over their own networks.
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