InternetSmall Wireless Carriers Call for Spectrum Cap

Advocacy group says too much mobile spectrum could land in the hands of market leaders like Verizon and AT&T.

An advocacy group representing smaller, rural wireless carriers is petitioning the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) to reinstate limits on the amount of spectrum a carrier can own -- a move that it believes could stop the nation's largest wireless companies from grabbing an unfair share. The Rural Telecommunications Group (RTG) said its members' networks could be in jeopardy if what it sees as a "duopoloy" in spectrum ownership comes into play, following recent spectrum acquisitions by wireless market leaders AT&T (NYSE: T) and Verizon Wireless, a venture of Verizon Communications (NYSE: VZ) and Vodafone Group (NYSE: VOD). "As more consolidations are taking place, more spectrum is ending up with the big players," Carri Bennet, RTG's general counsel, told InternetNews.com. "The rural carriers need access to spectrum." The group wants a cap of 110 MHz on the amount of spectrum a carrier can hold below the 2.3 GHz band within a county. RELATED ARTICLES Spectrum Proposal Draws T-Mobile's Fire FCC Seeks Comment on Free Internet Plan Data Demand Fuels AT&T Earnings Verizon Emerges Big Winner in Spectrum Auction For more stories on this topic: The request asks the FCC to revisit capping spectrum ownership, a policy it abandoned in 2003. The agency initially weighed proposed mergers among carriers based whether their combined spectrum would exceed 70 MHz, later bumping that figure to 95 MHz. Yet any plans... [ Read more on www.internetnews.com ]

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Largest US carrier says Sprint and Clearwire haven't provided accurate spectrum data to federal overseers.

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NewsFactor - According to the China Internet Network Information Center, more than 253 million people in China are now online. By contrast, Nielsen Online reports more than 220 million Americans have Internet access at home and/or work, and 73 percent of those were active in May.