T-Mobile rent payments for 2.5 GHz may not be so secret

T-Mobile leases much of its 2.5 GHz spectrum from educational institutions around the country. And the carrier has made great efforts to keep the terms of these Educational Broadband Service (EBS) leases private. For instance, it is engaged in a dispute with Christian College of Georgia and demands that the college not reveal the terms of its lease. But, a reporter for Religion News simply looked up the IRS Form 990 for Christian College of Georgia, which is a public record that must be filed by non-profit organizations. He reported that the college receives $55,000 per year for the lease of its 2.5 GHz spectrum. Previously, Fierce Wireless reviewed letters sent from T-Mobile to some schools indicating the carrier really does not want the pricing terms of its leases revealed. T-Mobile considers the pricing terms to be “trade secrets.” One letter sent from T-Mobile’s law firm Williams & Connelly states, “Disclosure of this confidential information would affect T-Mobile’s standing in extremely competitive spectrum negotiations.” The letters from T-Mobile’s law firm also said that access to T-Mobile’s 2.5 GHz leases are only known by fewer than .1 percent of T-Mobile employees. The topic of T-Mobile’s leases is particularly sensitive right now because the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has scheduled Auction 108 of 2.5 GHz spectrum to begin July 29.