Twenty small carriers urged Congress to restore the FCCs auction authority. In a letter to the leaders of the House and Senate Commerce Committees and their Communications Subcommittees, the members of the Competitive Carriers Association said they are non-nationwide carriers that serve rural and regional markets.
“Smaller wireless carriers provide critical connectivity in rural and underserved communities. In many cases, companies like ours are the only carrier in significant portions of our service areas, providing connectivity not only to our retail subscribers, but also to customers of other carriers, including nationwide providers, when they roam into our service areas,” said the telecoms.
They say like all carriers, they depend on auctioned and licensed spectrum to offer the communities they serve wireless innovations and reliable service. “An appropriate policy framework, with reasonably-sized geographic licenses and full power levels, will help to promote competition and make strides to connect the underserved,” they state. But they warn that “without increased access to 5G-ready spectrum and spectrum licenses that work for both large and small operators,” America’s wireless leadership and the benefits of wireless connectivity in rural, regional and nationwide markets “will be jeopardized.”
Signing the letter were: ATN International, Carolina West Wireless, Cellcom, C Spire, Docomo Pacific, East Kentucky Network/dba Appalachian Wireless, GCI Communication Corp., Horry Telephone Cooperative, Inc., Illinois Valley Cellular, Inland Cellular LLC, MTPCS, LLC dba Cellular One, Nex-Tech Wireless, Panhandle Telecommunication Systems, Inc., Pine Belt Wireless, Smith Bagley, Inc., Southern Linc, Thumb Cellular, Union Wireless, Viaero Wireless and VTel Wireless.
By Leslie Stimson, Inside Towers Washington Bureau Chief
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