Public Interest Spectrum Coalition Sends Letter to Support Competition in Incentive Auction

The Public interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC) submitted a letter supporting the Federal Communications Commission's plan to ensure that competitive carriers can bid on spectrum in the upcoming Incentive Auction.

"Specifically, we believe that reserving some reclaimed broadcast spectrum in each local market for competitive carriers will be a significant step forward. This proceeding may represent one of the last chances to clear and auction low-band spectrum for some time, and that low-band spectrum is critical for offering competitive mobile broadband services."

The letter listed three reasons why the FCC should reserve at least 30 MHz for competitors:

• In light of the recent efforts by AT&T and Verizon to confuse the issues, we want to stress the three most important reasons the Commission should reject these last minute efforts to undermine the existing auction proposal.
• If even AT&T and Verizon need 20 MHz each to make participation worthwhile, then how can competitors with even less low-band spectrum hope to compete without a reserve of 30 MHz or more?
• The Commission must nurture the current “green shoots” of reinvigorated competition.

Consumers should have more good choices as a result of the auction, not just an increasingly entrenched duopoly.
The letter was signed by the following organizations: Public Knowledge; Benton Foundation; Center for Media Justice; Center for Rural Strategies; Common Cause; Consumer Federation of America; Free Press; Institute for Local Self-Reliance; National Hispanic Media Coalition; Open Technology Institute; New America Foundation; TURN--The Utility Reform Network; United Church of Christ; Writers Guild of America, West; and X-Lab, New America Foundation.