Reps. Guthrie and Matsui Send Letter to FCC Urging a Competitive Bidding Process that Maximizes Revenue in Upcoming AWS-3 Spectrum Auction
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, March 26, 2014
CONTACT:
Jennifer Sherman (Rep. Guthrie) 202-225-3501
Jonelle Trimmer (Rep. Matsui) 202-225-7163
Reps. Guthrie and Matsui Send Letter to FCC Urging a Competitive Bidding Process that Maximizes Revenue in Upcoming AWS-3 Spectrum Auction
Today, Congressman Brett Guthrie (R-KY) and Congresswoman Doris Matsui (D-CA) sent a letter to Chairman Wheeler at the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) urging them to put forward a spectrum band plan that generates robust competition and maximizes revenue during the upcoming AWS-3- 1755-1780 spectrum auction.
The letter applauds the FCC's recent announcement of its intention to auction the AWS-3 spectrum for commercial use on a paired basis with the 1755-1780MHz band later this year, and stresses the importance of creating strong incentives for wireless carriers to compete in the auction. The FCC announced yesterday that the AWS-3 auction process will be outlined in its upcoming agenda meeting on March 31, 2014.
A pdf copy of the signed letter is available here.
The full text of the letter is below:
March 25, 2014
The Honorable Tom Wheeler
Federal Communications Commission
445 12th Street, S.W.
Washington, D.C. 20554
Dear Chairman Wheeler:
To meet burgeoning consumer demand for mobile data services, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has called for 500 MHz of new commercial spectrum over the next ten years. Working in a bipartisan fashion, we have responded to the public interest in securing additional spectrum for broadband use with a variety of policy efforts and legislative measures. One of the cornerstones of our work has been to encourage government incumbents to relocate from the AWS-3 band and to ensure that the AWS-3 spectrum is made available for licensing on a paired basis, which is ideal for broadband deployment.
After years of planning and effort, the FCC recently announced its intention to auction the AWS-3 spectrum for commercial use on a paired basis later this year. We applaud that. As the FCC finalizes its band plan and rules for an auction of the long-sought AWS-3 spectrum, we write to stress the importance of creating strong incentives for wireless carriers to compete in the auction. We urge the Commission to put forth a band plan that allows for robust competition, maximizing revenue through vigorous auction participation.
We recognize the FCC must balance many competing public interest goals in designing spectrum band plans, geographic license areas, and block sizes. We understand that is not an easy task. We encourage the FCC to work towards creating a band plan that encourages a robust bidding process that maximizes revenue in the upcoming AWS-3 auction. Thank you for your consideration.
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