D-Block dustup casts questions on Martin, Frontline, Cyren Call

FCC DELINKS 700 MHz UPPER D BLOCK FROM OTHER BLOCKS
The Federal Communications Commission released an Order de-linking the Upper 700 MHz D Block from the other blocks offered in the 700 MHz Auction (Auction 73), which closed on March 18, 2008. The D Block did not meet its $1.3 billion reserve price established in advance of the auction, while the other blocks - the A, B, C, and E Blocks - met and exceeded their reserve prices. The Commission is committed to making this spectrum available for use quickly after the DTV transition on February 17, 2009. The action enables the FCC to proceed with releasing the information on the winning bidders in the A, B, C, and E Blocks and to move forward with licensing this spectrum. The FCC decided that it will not re-offer the D Block immediately in Auction 76 but will consider its options for how to license this spectrum in the future.
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/DOC-280948A1.doc
* FCC D-block order
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-91A1.doc
* Commissioner Adelstein: "It is nothing short of a tragedy that the D block failed to sell. I am pleased, though, that this Order represents a hopeful effort to get back on track. I am also pleased we are acting with the haste that is justified by the urgency of this problem. We have a special moral responsibility to act quickly to set new rules that can lead to a workable partnership. The public-private partnership approach could have succeeded, and I still believe we can make it work. Admittedly, finding a balance was fraught with difficulty, but we failed to make it viable, and heed concerns about finding a balance on issues of concern like penalties. We need to do a top-to-bottom review of what went wrong so we can make it work in the next round."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-91A3.doc
* Commissioner Copps: "Seven years after the wake-up call of 9/11, America's first responders still need a national, interoperable wireless broadband network. This is quite literally a matter of life and death. Until they receive the communications resources they need, our nation's police officers, fire fighters, emergency medical technicians and other first responders will remain unable to adequately protect themselves--and all of us. It is a travesty that our nation has failed, so far, to meet this urgent public safety challenge. Now we have another chance to build the network that public safety and the American public need. I remain committed to working with my colleagues to succeed in this most important task."
http://hraunfoss.fcc.gov/edocs_public/attachmatch/FCC-08-91A2.doc
D-BLOCK DUSTUP CASTS QUESTIONS ON MARTIN, FRONTLINE, CYREN CALL
A coalition of consumer and public-interest groups, the Ad Hoc Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC), asked the Federal Communications Commission to probe the 700 MHz auction’s failure to attract a winning bidder for the national commercial-public safety D-Block license, an outcome of growing interest to Congress. “In particular, PISC asks the commission to investigate carefully the allegations surrounding a purported meeting between Frontline [Wireless L.L.C.], its financial backers, and Morgan O’Brien of Cyren Call [Communications Corp.] that may have had the effect of preventing Frontline from attracting needed capital and discouraging other bidders,” stated the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition in a letter to FCC Chairman Kevin Martin. PISC members include the Consumer Federation of America, Consumers Union, EDUCAUSE, Free Press, Media Access Project, National Hispanic Media Coalition, New America Foundation, Public Knowledge and U.S. Public Interest Research Group. The organizations also want the FCC to explore alternative uses of D-Block spectrum, such as fostering broadband competition and deployment.
http://www.rcrnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080320/FREE/66757140...
* MAP Responds to 700 MHZ Auction Results
"This auction proves two things. First, anonymous bidding works. Second, that auctions alone will not bring competition to the wireless world or break the current cable/DSL broadband duopoly."
http://www.mediaaccess.org/press-room/map-responds-to-700-mhz-auction-re...
* Public Knowledge Comment on FCC Spectrum Auction Actions
"It was no surprise that Verizon paid more than $4.7 billion for a national block of spectrum in the most valuable band. From what we have seen, the company has started a process to comply with the open access parts of the FCC order that have the potential to bring many benefits to consumers through more flexibility in using their own handsets and other devices and the use of applications other than those supplied by Verizon. We look forward to hearing more details about how Verizon implements its program, and we hope the rest of the industry will adopt a similar view to giving consumers more choice. We are grateful to Google for stepping up and making certain the minimum bid in the “C” block was achieved, so that the open access provisions would be required to be followed. At the same time, however, it is disappointing that new competitors and innovators won't have access to the spectrum to give consumers the benefits of real broadband competition."
http://www.publicknowledge.org/node/1465