And we thought AT&T was the evil carrier. As much as we like to poke at AT&T for being the darkside of wireless carriers, we have to give it to them for their innovative offerings and liberal stance on consumer interests. The leading wireless carrier was recently noted as supporting FCC Chairman Kevin Martin’s successful push to get open-access rules attached to a significant slice of the 700Mhz frequency spectrum – that’s a good thing for consumers.
Today, we learn that Verizon Wireless has gone the evil-empire route and filed an appeal to overturn the FCC’s “unconstitutional” regulations on the 700Mhz spectrum. The open-access regulation attached to a 22Mhz slice of the 700Mhz spectrum would give consumers the power to choose whatever device and software they want to use – a boon for consumer rights. The auction, set for this coming January, will require a minimum $4.6 billion bid on this particular piece of the spectrum – but if the reserve price is not met, the open-access stipulation would be dropped and the auction repeated.
Shame on you, Verizon Wireless. Do you really think consumers are going give up their right to use whatever damn device they choose just because you think the FCC regulation “violates the U.S. Constitution, violates the Administrative Procedures Act … and is arbitrary, capricious, unsupported by the substantial evidence and otherwise contrary to law.” What is this? Communist Russia?
[Via: RCR News]