Wireless industry is mulling options now that FCC Wireless Bureau...

than FCC, door was left open for review by full Commission. Efforts on Capitol Hill to delay bid start date -- already under way before bureau decision -- also are expected to accelerate this week. “CTIA believes that the FCC was a little quick on the draw in their response and may have not looked at all the benefits that could be derived from a moderate delay of the auction,” said CTIA Vp-Govt. Relations Steve Berry: “We hope that the full Commission will have a much broader scope in its review.” Berry said CTIA hadn’t made any decision on whether to seek full FCC review of its request to delay start date, but said group was evaluating alternatives. Even before bureau decision last week to keep date, efforts were under way to have letters sent to FCC from key Senate and House appropriators and Commerce Committee members. One industry source said hope was that House Commerce Committee Chmn. Tauzin (R-La.) would lead Republicans in urging FCC to delay auction and that Rep. Dingell (D-Mich.) also would back delay. As early as end of this week, legislation is expected to be drafted that would delay auction, source said. White House Office of Management & Budget apparently is monitoring plan to retain auction date in light of language in Administration’s budget proposal that would push back dates of 700 MHz bidding, source said. Budget blueprint indicated that if upper band auction were moved to 2004 from 2001 and Ch. 52-59 bidding to 2006 from 2002, budget offset of $2.6 billion for fiscal 2002 would be realized. Before bureau decision, some Senate offices were close to including report language on fiscal 2003 budget that would direct FCC to delay auction date. Some in wireless industry also hope that NTIA might weigh in on auction timing with letter that would underscore language in Administration’s budget proposal, source said. Cingular Wireless last week had submitted ex parte filing to back CTIA request for delay, saying FCC had started proceeding to examine ways to eliminate interference for public safety users at 800 MHz. Cingular said one possibility would be to relocate existing 800 MHz public safety operations to 700 MHz to resolve interference, move that could finance relocation through auctioning vacated 800 MHz spectrum. “Delay of the 700 MHz auction is warranted to allow these issues to be fully addressed in the pending public safety rulemaking,” Cingular said. One industry source said Wireless Bureau letter to CTIA last week denying request for delay might have “raised bar” for signals FCC would need to receive from Hill to push back date of upper band auction for 6th time. FCC Wireless Bureau Chief Thomas Sugrue said bureau had adopted reserve price of $2.6 billion for upper band, meaning that if bidding didn’t reach that level, licenses wouldn’t be awarded.