As a result of the government-mandated transition to digital television, a prized portion of spectrum formerly used by TV broadcasters was returned to the FCC for an auction held in 2008. Did the auction of the so-called 700-megahertz spectrum serve the public interest?

In a positive first step toward wireless innovation, licensing conditions on the newly available spectrum will require any device, handset or software application to work on the new network. In fact, this "open devices" requirement should be part of all of our wireless networks.

But the bottom line is that the auction failed to produce a much-needed competitor to the phone and cable giants. Verizon and AT&T -- the auction’s big winners -- are already dominant providers of high-speed Internet service in the United States. Their winning bids leave slim prospects for genuine Internet competition via a wireless "third pipe."

U.S. Internet users still face a broadband duopoly under which nearly 99 percent of all residential connections are provided by the cable or phone companies. The auction's failure to bring a new competitor into the marketplace means that America’s Internet future will look a lot like its past: slower Internet speeds for prices that are far higher than what people pay in Europe and Asia.

Free Press and allied organizations submitted the following comments related to the government auction of the 700MHz spectrum.

Comments on Rules for Auction of the 700MHz Spectrum
In these comments, consumer groups note the many challenges of the FCC auction system, but do not propose specific conditions for the auction. (October 2006)

Ex Parte Comments on Rules for Auction of the 700MHz Spectrum
Media Access Project, on behalf of the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition, comments on a proposal for using a portion of the spectrum for public safety communications and discusses some of the methods used by current spectrum holders to thwart competition. (March 2007)

Further Comments on Rules for Auction of the 700MHz Spectrum
In these comments, the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition asks the FCC to adopt four conditions to the auction that will ensure that U.S. wireless customers will have the freedom and competition needed to maximize benefits to consumers. These four conditions are open applications, open devices, open services and open networks. (April 2007)

Reply Comments on the Rules for Auction of the 700MHz Spectrum
In these reply comments, the Public Interest Spectrum Coalition refutes many of the claims made by industry and reaffirms its support for conditions to provide consumers with a competitive wireless market. (July 2007)