House Commerce Committee ranking member Anna Eshoo, D-Calif.,...

this agreement coupled with the important work underway to build a nationwide, interoperable public safety network will ensure our first responders are equipped with the 21st century tools needed to communicate seamlessly,” Eshoo said. Verizon Senior Vice President Kathy Grillo said Wednesday the carrier was pleased with the agreement. “By addressing difficult interference issues in a holistic manner, the parties appear to have developed a consensus solution that will promote efficient use of spectrum throughout the band and is a win-win for carriers and the consumers they serve,” Grillo said. But Michael Calabrese of the New America Foundation’s Wireless Future Project said via email that public interest groups were right to raise questions about the agreement. “Our consumer coalition has been a strong supporter of interoperability across the entire 700 MHz band interoperability,” he said. “Interoperability is critical to smaller, competitive wireless carriers whose customers must rely on roaming outside their home region and who cannot otherwise get access to newest and most sought after devices. It will allow consumers to more easily switch carriers. Interoperability also is critical to an effective and efficient public safety network.” Interoperability should be assumed, Calabrese said. “Until now, the FCC has never auctioned bands of spectrum that lacked interoperability,” he said. “AT&T created this entire problem by leveraging its market power to create a proprietary band class. While this gave AT&T a competitive advantage, it harmed consumers and left a great deal of prime spectrum fallow, particularly in rural and small town areas. We urge the Commission to adopt the outcome of these negotiations in its rules and as license conditions that will be firmly binding on all parties."