Congress opens up Washington’s subways to GSM carriers

Wireless competition may soon be coming to the throngs of subway riders who comprise official Washington.
A bill passed by Congress and en route to President Bush will allow any licensed mobile-phone carrier to provide service on subways serving the nation’s capital and surrounding suburbs in Virginia and Maryland. The subway wireless measure, championed by House Oversight and Government Reform Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) with strategic backing from Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.), would have withheld much-needed capital improvement funding for the Metro subway system if officials failed to expand wireless access for commuters.
“One of the hallmarks of our nation’s capital is the public transportation system, Metrorail,” said Steve Largent, president cellular industry association CTIA. “Due to the unwavering efforts of Congress, millions of wireless users will soon be able to enjoy the convenience and safety of using their wireless device on the Metro.”
Verizon Wireless has a contract with the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority dating back to the early 1990s, giving the No. 2 mobile-phone carrier – as well as Sprint Nextel Corp. via a CDMA roaming agreement – a competitive advantage over GSM-based carriers AT&T Mobility and T-Mobile USA Inc. AT&T Mobility is the largest U.S. cellular operator and holds exclusive rights to the popular iPhone.