House bill wrong way to divvy up airwaves

The danger of cellphone networks being clogged up by users and their data has finally gotten Congress' attention. But its answer to the problem may end up doing more harm than good.

A bill passed by the House last week would encourage television broadcasters to voluntarily hand back their airwaves, which the government would auction them off to the highest bidder, sharing the proceeds with the broadcasters. Wireless companies such as AT&T and Verizon are expected to snatch up the newly opened airwaves to help speed smartphone Internet connections and ensure fewer dropped calls. But the legislation is critically flawed. Should it become law, we're likely to end up with an even less competitive wireless market. And Super Wi-Fi -- a new wireless technology that promises ultrafast Internet connections -- may be critically hobbled. The potential problems created by the bill are so big that Mark Cooper, director of research at the Consumer Federation of America, calls it "a 100-year mistake."