As the FCC finishes rules for the broadband radio service (BRS) a...
As the FCC finishes rules for the broadband radio service (BRS) and educational broadband service (EBS) bands, the Wireless Broadband Service Providers Assn. (WBSPA) urged the agency to impose strict service build- out requirements on current BRS stakeholders. WBSPA…
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said the rulemaking’s major flaw is “lack of focus” on the “major deficiency of available spectrum resources” for use by future competitive wireless broadband providers. Although “some very limited” usable spectrum is available for such players, it said, none likely will be able to obtain enough spectrum to compete with the band’s incumbent, Sprint Nextel. Sprint Nextel has “simply warehoused” the vast majority of the band’s spectrum “for many, many years -- which it is still doing today,” WBSPA said. That’s the “central reason for the lack of available spectrum in the 2.5 GHz band,” it said. WBSPA urged the FCC to require BRS stakeholders, and “especially those warehousing spectrum,” to adhere to “very strict substantial service benchmarks, beginning 3 years after the effective date of new rules.” If anyone fails to adhere to the service build-out requirements, the spectrum should be reclaimed and auctioned to other entrants, it said: “This is the only way to guarantee this spectrum will be quickly put to the best and highest use.”