SAN ANTONIO – The Competitive Carriers Association’s Global Expo kicked off with a keynote question-and-answer session with Roger Sherman, acting chief of the Federal Communications Commission’s Wireless Telecommunications Bureau continuing to set modest expectations for the FCC’s planned incentive auction process set to begin mid-2015.
Sherman, who was filling in as a last-minute replacement for FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler, referenced comments this week by Wheeler at a Washington, D.C., event where he noted the proceedings would be “once-in-a-lifetime” opportunity for the broadcast community.
Sherman explained that the proceedings were extremely complicated, adding that they should not be seen as downplaying the contribution from the broadcast community, but instead seen as contributing to freeing up needed spectrum assets.
Sherman, who before going to the FCC was involved with crafting the framework for the incentive auction process, also noted that rules concerning the incentive auction were set to be distributed to key stakeholders in the coming weeks.
Tapping into concerns from CCA members, Sherman said the FCC was in favor of garnering broad participation from carriers of all sizes and that the decision making process involved with setting aside the size of licenses up for bid would show that support. Without announcing exactly what licenses sizes would be included in the incentive auction, something that could be difficult to pin down until the participation level of broadcasters is better understood, Sherman did say the FCC was looking at the CCA-favored commercial market areas, as well as larger economic area and compromise partial economic area license sizes.
The recent H-Block auction relied on EA-sized license blocks, something Sherman said was a “default” size, but that the FCC staff was actively looking at PEAs.
Regardless of the auction rules, Sherman explained that at the core of decision making would be encouraging competition across the wireless space. Echoing comments from Wheeler, Sherman said that robust competition negated the need for cumbersome government regulation.
“The more competition, the less regulation you need,” Sherman said.
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