Verizon sharply criticized a Sprint proposal for a...
Verizon sharply criticized a Sprint proposal for a weighted spectrum screen for the FCC to use in weighing deals that include the acquisition of spectrum. “On the eve of the FCC adopting rules that will govern two spectrum auctions, Sprint…
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has proposed a new, allegedly ‘easy to implement,’ spectrum screen that continues to ignore the biggest defect in the Commission’s application of the spectrum screen: the exclusion of 138 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum,” Verizon said in a filing (http://bit.ly/1lvSMx4). “Sprint proposes to apply complicated calculations to various spectrum bands on an urban, suburban, and rural basis to create a ‘weighted’ spectrum screen that, unsurprisingly, decreases the weight of Sprint’s 147 MHz of 2.5 GHz spectrum holdings to 11.1 MHz, at most.” Sprint made its proposal last month (http://bit.ly/1ep8aXt). “Sprint’s proposal would weight spectrum based on the cost to deploy and operate using that band, recognizing the reality that low-band spectrum is typically significantly more cost-effective to deploy than higher-frequency spectrum,” Sprint said at the time. The FCC is expected to take up spectrum aggregation rules at its May meeting (CD March 10 p1).