Sen. Maria Cantwell, D-Wash., objected the House spectrum bill, in...

the agency’s authority to design and manage spectrum auctions, she said. Limits on that authority in the House bill would hurt competition and “benefit only the biggest incumbent providers with the deepest pockets,” she said. The House bill inappropriately narrows the definition of “public safety,” limiting which local agencies can use the proposed national network, she said. Cantwell also objected to the bill’s requirement that public safety give back 700 MHz narrowband spectrum, because she said many public safety organizations have built out or are building networks with that spectrum. “Communities that have invested millions in local taxes for their 700 MHz public safety networks will have stranded assets and limited alternatives to migrate to for public safety grade voice, without the benefit of any federal compensation,” Cantwell said. Also Friday, T-Mobile condemned auction eligibility language in the House bill. “Our concern is the auction eligibility language now being considered by Congress will give a significant advantage to the largest companies with the deepest pockets, who will buy any and all available spectrum to the exclusion of competition,” said T-Mobile Vice President Kathleen Ham in a blog post (http://xrl.us/bmrobz). “We all want free markets,” she said. “But the reality is that spectrum supply is not a normal free market since the US Government uniquely controls this fundamental input to our business. It is incumbent upon the government then to ensure that when and if it makes this resource available it does so fairly, ensuring all who want to compete have that opportunity."