FCC Clears Way for Airwaves Auction
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WASHINGTON (AP) – The Federal Communications Commission approved rules Tuesday intended to give consumers more choice in their cell phones and wireless devices after a new airwaves auction is held next year.
The vote clears the way for the auction, which is expected to raise as much as $15 billion.
The commission approved a much-debated “open access” provision, pushed by FCC Chairman Kevin Martin, a Republican, and supported by the two Democrats on the commission, that will allow customers to use whatever phone and software they want on about one-third of the network to be auctioned.
A more ambitious provision, that would have required a licensee to sell access to its network on a wholesale basis, was not included in the rules, making it unlikely that Google Inc. will bid. Google had been expected to challenge traditional wireless companies if the rules had been favorable.
