There is untapped value in the spectrum that the FCC licensed to Sirius and XM
1 YEAR AGO THIS WAS ANNOUNCED
Posted by: AT&T Blog Team on October 17, 2012
The FCC today unanimously approved a joint proposal AT&T and Sirius XM submitted in June to maximize spectrum efficiency and make mobile broadband services in the WCS band possible. You may attribute the following to Joan Marsh, AT&T Vice President of Federal Regulatory:
?The era of regulatory dispute and uncertainty in the WCS band is finally drawing to a close. Today, in a unanimous vote, the FCC approved an Order adopting the joint proposal filed by AT&T and Sirius XM designed to bridge long-standing differences in the band to reach mutually-acceptable solutions and to position the WCS band for mobile broadband deployment.
?While we have not yet seen the final Order, we anticipate that the service rules adopted today will permit deployment of LTE technologies in the WCS band while ensuring that satellite radio services are protected from unreasonable interference. AT&T took real risks to develop this under-utilized band and is committed to devoting the resources necessary to unlock its full potential. We expect to commence deployment of LTE infrastructure in the band in as early as three years, allowing us to enhance our wireless broadband services. Our customers will also win, as additional spectrum capacity becomes available to support surging mobile Internet usage.
?We appreciate the substantial efforts by the FCC Chairman, Commissioners and Staff that were necessary to bring our joint proposal forward to a final Order and we congratulate the Commission on resolution of this item consistent with the goals identified in the National Broadband Plan.?
TOPICS: Consumers, FCC, Mobile Broadband, Spectrum
