Billionaires Musk, Ergen and Dell Brawling Over Spectrum at FCC

Satellite entrepreneur Charlie Ergen and computer whiz Michael Dell have a plan to open up little-used wireless frequencies to millions of customers with a new 5G service. The proposal has sparked a ruckus among billionaires. Elon Musk’s SpaceX filed an objection with the Federal Communications Commission saying the “scheme” would wreck his broadband-from-orbit service.  Ergen’s Dish Network responded with an FCC filing that accused SpaceX of “flimsy” and “far-fetched” criticism. RS Access LLC, a Dell company, cited what it calls SpaceX’s “long history of misleading information, rule-flaunting, and ad hominem attacks.” The colorful battle of billionaires stands out on the ordinarily placid docket of the FCC, which is more often limited to dry technical concerns such as antenna characteristics and signal power. It reflects the fortunes to be made as the US moves toward 5G networks that will link homes, vehicles, factories and farms. A government auction earlier this year of 5G airwaves brought in $81 billion as the largest US wireless providers snapped up frequencies; another airwaves sale that could net $25 billion is under way.