Government Handouts at Wireless Auctions

[Commentary] Large telecommunications companies have repeatedly taken advantage of rules meant to help small, rural, female- and minority-owned businesses buy licenses for airwaves for wireless phone and data transmission, including in a recent auction that raised nearly $45 billion for the government.

Congress and the Federal Communications Commission should crack down on such abuse. With just four national cellphone companies controlling about 98 percent of the market, Congress and the commission need to do more to encourage competition in the wireless industry. They can start by cutting off subsidies to corporations that don’t need the help.