Spectrum, quite possibly the most expensive invisible thing you can buy, is absolutely crucial for the wireless industry to function. The Chief Executive Officers of six American operators (AT&T, Cellcom, Sprint, T-Mobile, U.S Cellular, and Verizon Wireless) recently sent a letter [PDF file] to President Obama asking if he could get the Department of Commerce’s National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA) to hurry up and release “unused and underutilized government spectrum bands below 3 GHz.” This isn’t the first time we’ve heard this plee. In June 2010 President Obama said he’s aiming to free up 500 MHz worth of spectrum over the next 10 years. What’s the progress been on that front? In March of this year the Reforming Airwaves by Developing Incentives and Opportunistic Sharing (RADIOS) Act was introduced with the simple goal of making a database that shows how spectrum is being use today; said act hasn’t passed. What we said about the RADIOS Act then, still holds true now, that the government is proving themselves to be grossly incompetent if they can’t “go to their local office supply store, pick up a copy of Microsoft Office, and make a spreadsheet to show who owns what and where there are potential gaps that can be auctioned off.”
AT&T isn’t bothering to wait for the government. They’re well on their way to acquiring T-Mobile by Q1 2012, and don’t forget about their purchase last year of spectrum once owned by Qualcomm, who tried to get FLOTV to take off, but failed miserably. We wouldn’t be surprised to see Sprint becoming an acquisition target of Verizon at some point in the future. It’s a shame that the growth of the wireless industry in America is being stalled by the same folks who raise their hands on public television when asked by a debate moderator if they believe in creationism, but such is the sad state of America today.
[Via: PhoneScoop]