Reed Hundt rips House spectrum bill

Former Federal Communications Commission (FCC) Chairman Reed Hundt called the House GOP spectrum legislation "the single worst telecom bill" he has ever seen at a briefing on Capitol Hill.

"It should be rejected, not compromised with," Hundt said. The bill would restrict the FCC's ability to impose conditions on the companies that buy the spectrum and would prohibit the FCC from designating the spectrum it reclaims from broadcasters for unlicensed use. Unlicensed spectrum, which can be used by any company for free, powers technologies such as Wi-Fi, garage-door openers and remote controls. Hundt was the most outspoken in his blunt criticism of the House bill, saying the legislation focuses on one topic and "gets everything about that topic wrong." He worried that the bill would allow the largest wireless carriers to buy up all of the spectrum at auction, expanding their dominance of the airwaves. He said the carriers might not even plan to use some of the spectrum but could buy it just to kill off competition. He argued that Congress should rely on the FCC to use its technical expertise to set the conditions of the auction. "It's not a good idea to have Congress act like an agency and pass legislation that's ten times longer than it needs to be," Hundt said. "This is a microcosm of why the American people are so unhappy with government in Washington."