Here we go again, sadly. The FCC has come out today and announced in a statement that Wireless Bureau chief Rick Kaplan plans to stop the 180 day review time on AT&T’s proposed purchase of Qualcomm’s 700MHz spectrum. This doesn’t mean the end of the deal, but this does have a great deal to do with the planned merger, as it “overlaps” some of AT&T’s plans. Qualcomm’s VP of Government Affairs, Dean Brenner reached out to Engadget with an official statement:
“The FCC should approve the pending AT&T-Qualcomm spectrum sale now because of the clear benefits to the public from the sale that stand on their own and are totally unrelated to the proposed AT&T-T-Mobile merger. Approval now will foster the public policies that the FCC correctly deems so vital for the American public. Approval now will re-purpose unused 700 MHz unpaired spectrum for mobile broadband, thereby easing America’s spectrum crunch and helping to meet the FCC’s goal of reallocating 300 MHz for mobile broadband over the next five years. Approval now will also allow Qualcomm to invest in a new, spectrally efficient technology (supplemental downlink) and enable the first worldwide deployment to occur in the U.S., thereby fostering U.S. economic growth and job creation and enhancing U.S. global leadership in wireless technology.”
Via: Engadget
