VERIZON WIRELESS BLASTS NEW NEXTEL PROPOSAL
Verizon Wireless told the FCC late Wed. Nextel’s most recent offer to give public safety 2 MHz of spectrum is suspect and may not address emergency responder needs for unencumbered spectrum. The filing came as Chmn. Powell continues to ponder an 800 MHz rebanding order. Nextel accused Verizon of taking a “cheap shot.”
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New details provided by Nextel “reveal that Nextel’s proposal provides no guarantee that the additional 2 MHz will meet public safety needs,” Verizon said in a filing. The carrier said Nextel acknowledges that the spectrum it is offering “is limited by interference and ‘may not be optimum assignments for mission critical public safety communications.'” Verizon also said Nextel appears to be putting restrictions on use of the 2 MHz, making it available as “a home for relocating other 800 MHz users” but not emergency communications. Verizon said its rival acknowledges that some other 800 MHz incumbents would have to give up spectrum for the plan to work but does not commit to paying for additional retuning costs.
“The latest Nextel gambit is yet another attempt to secure a spectrum windfall by hyping the value of its ‘contributed’ spectrum beyond reason,” Verizon said. Nextel reconfigured its offer to public safety earlier this month (CD June 8 p1). Nextel said its revised offer is worth $863 million more than its initial proposal, or $5.155 billion.
“Verizon Wireless has no credibility on these issues,” a Nextel spokesman said. “Their filings are consistently in their own self interest while Nextel continues to offer solutions and improvements… Verizon Wireless continues to take cheap shots and they're wrong.”
Several sources said Powell hopes to have an order out before the July 4th holiday. “We're hearing there may be something more solid distributed on the 8th floor within the next few days,” one source said Thurs.: “I've given up speculating on what they're going to do.”
CTIA, meanwhile, which submitted an alternative rebanding plan in April, supported by Verizon, released letters from law enforcement supporting its proposal. The letters were signed by the Md. Chiefs of Police Assn. and sheriff of Prince George’s County, Md. Key national law enforcement groups endorsed the latest Nextel proposal Mon. (CD June 15 p3).