T-Mobile calls for delay of FCC's free wireless broadband initiative

T-Mobile USA has asked the FCC to extend the public-comment period for its controversial plan to auction a nationwide block of spectrum that would see the licensee offering free broadband services. T-Mobile wants the commission to spend more time studying potential interference problems and delay its final decision until after the November elections. The commission's comment deadline is July 9 with reply comments due July 16. The FCC wants to craft its rules by August.

M2Z Founder, Chairman and CTO Milo Medin, whose company first presented this type of proposal to the FCC back in 2006 and is interested in bidding on the spectrum, recently told FierceBroadbandWireless [1] that the core technical rules that have always been advocated for the auction are the same rules that were used for the 700 MHz auction. "It's hard to argue that the same rules worked at 700 MHz but don't work in this band," he said.

The commission is proposing to combine the 2155 to 2175 MHz band with the 2175 MHz to 2180 MHz band to create a 25-megahertz swathe of spectrum that would support a nationwide license. The spectrum is referred to as advanced wireless services-3 and would require the licensee to dedicate 25 percent of its network capacity to free broadband service, install a network-based Internet filtering system to block pornography and allow open access to third-party devices and applications.

For more:
- read RCR Wireless News [2]

Related stories:
Interview with M2Z: Free wireless broadband can work. M2Z interview [1]
FCC looks to fast-track free wireless broadband network initiative. Wireless broadband story [3]