The Rural Telecommunications Group took issue with statements by FCC...
The Rural Telecommunications Group took issue with statements by FCC Commissioners Robert McDowell and Ajit Pai to the Senate Commerce Committee during its March 12 FCC oversight hearing, opposing spectrum caps in the upcoming incentive auction of broadcast TV spectrum.…
Sign up for a free preview to unlock the rest of this article
Timely, relevant coverage of court proceedings and agency rulings involving tariffs, classification, valuation, origin and antidumping and countervailing duties. Each day, Trade Law Daily subscribers receive a daily headline email, in-depth PDF edition and access to all relevant documents via our trade law source document library and website.
In a letter to the FCC (http://bit.ly/WVaTVp), RTG questioned in particular comments by Pai, who expressed concerns that the auction may not provide enough money to pay for the new FirstNet. “While the goal of funding FirstNet is certainly important, it is not the driving force behind the incentive auction,” RTG said. “Nor does placing a spectrum cap on carrier holdings on a market by market basis necessarily mean the forward auction will fail to meet expectations. ... While RTG recognizes the importance of funding FirstNet and balancing the budget, the Commission’s auction authority does not permit the FCC to sacrifice competition to provide funding for these initiatives."