Bush, Martin at war over AWS-3 spectrum auction

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin and the Bush administration are on a collision course over a possible Dec. 18 vote on a free, family-friendly wireless auction plan, uncharacteristically bringing into public view a high-stakes policy dispute between the Republican White House and one of its top appointees. In a letter to Martin on the eve of the public release of the official agenda for next week's FCC meeting, Commerce Secretary Carlos Gutierrez urged the nation's top telecom regulator not to move forward with the advanced wireless services-3 initiative. "The administration believes that the AWS-3 spectrum should be auctioned without price or product mandates," stated Gutierrez in the two-page letter. "The FCC should rely on market forces to determine the best use of the spectrum, subject to appropriate government rules to prevent harmful interference." There has been speculation for months that Gutierrez might weigh in on the FCC's AWS-3 controversy. The commerce secretary's letter closely tracks one sent by Meredith Attwell-Baker, acting head of the National Telecommunications and Information Administration, last month. Congress in 1993 said anticipated revenue alone should not drive the formation of auction rules. FCC spokesperson Robert Kenny said, "We agree that free market forces should drive competition, but we believe that providing free basic broadband to consumers is a good thing. It's not just about raising the most money as you can, but about advancing policies that bring benefits to consumers and ensure the most efficient use of the spectrum."