Smaller cell carriers urge Congress to give FCC flexibility in spectrum auctions

A coalition of wireless carriers urged Congress to give the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) flexibility in how it manages proposed auctions of wireless airwave licenses, widely known as spectrum.

The companies signing onto the letter included Sprint and T-Mobile, as well as regional carriers such as Atlantic Tele-Network, Bluegrass Cellular, C Spire Wireless, Cricket Communications and NorthwestCell. The groups warned that tying the FCC's hands would allow "the two largest, best-funded wireless carriers" to buy up all of the available airwaves in the auctions. In their letter to conference committee lawmakers, the smaller companies argued that restricting the FCC would reduce revenue in the long-run by limiting competition and discouraging smaller firms from participating in future auctions.