An AT&T executive on Friday criticized Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski in connection with his position on the scope of power the agency should have to conduct auctions for much needed wireless spectrum under legislation that is pending before Congress.
"We applaud the chairman's continuing support for incentive spectrum auction legislation, which is vital to consumers and to our Nation's economy," wrote Jim Cicconi, AT&T Senior Executive Vice President - External and Legislative Affairs, in a blog. "We are troubled, though, that the chairman and some of his staff are now saying that the FCC, and not the United States Congress, should have full power to impose conditions, and to decide which companies are allowed to participate in spectrum auctions and which should not."
Legislation has been pending before Congress that would enable the FCC to auction off spectrum that would be returned by licensees in exchange for a portion of the proceeds.
In a speech earlier this week at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Genachowski warned of a looming spectrum crunch and said it was important to make available unlicensed airwaves.
"If we don’t authorize incentive auctions and make much more spectrum available for mobile broadband, we are going to get swamped by an ocean of demand and risk our competitive advantage in the race to lead the world in mobile innovation," he said.
Genachowski raised concerns about some legislative proposals, including one that "would eliminate traditional FCC tools for setting terms for participation in auctions."
"A broad range of America’s top experts on auctions agree that it would not be wise to prejudge or micromanage FCC auction design and band plans. Doing so could significantly diminish the value of spectrum auctions, and stifle mobile innovation," Genachowski said.
But AT&T's Cicconi wrote that the FCC shouldn't get to pick what companies get to participate in the incentive auctions.
"The FCC should be a neutral arbiter, ensuring fairness and impartially enforcing a system of rules and laws," he said. "It should not be empowered by Congress to advantage some companies and disadvantage others, or to impose its preferences on a free market."
