FCC sets up the ‘incentive auction’ that will lead to faster wireless internet for everyone

Last week at the NAB (National Association of Broadcasters) show, FCC head Tom Wheeler pushed broadcasters to loosen their grip on spectrum that the agency plans to auction off to give wireless internet room to grow. Now, he’s laid out a draft of the rules for the auction before it takes places next year. The upcoming incentive auction will be a three stage process that, once completed, should open up more wireless spectrum for high-speed services like WiFi and LTE. So far not everyone has been happy with the possible rules for this redistribution. That includes the broadcasters themselves, whose participation will have to happen voluntarily, and the companies expected to bid for access, namely AT&T who has warned that it might skip the process based on the FCC’s restrictions on how much spectrum it can buy. Now that the rules are here, everyone from your local TV broadcaster to wireless carriers to cash heavy dreamers like Google and Dish Network can look them over before the commission votes on them May 15th.

“Getting the Incentive Auction right will revolutionalize how spectrum is allocated”. More fr Chairman @TomWheelerFCC http://t.co/uYUEdC8kfI

– The FCC (@FCC) April 18, 2014

Filed under: Home Entertainment, HD, Mobile, Verizon, AT&T

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Source: Tom Wheeler