Wireless spectrum winner Verizon now gets to interpret 'open access'

WIRELESS SPECTRUM WINNER VERIZON NOW GETS TO INTERPRET 'OPEN ACCESS'
With its winning $4.7 billion bid last week, Verizon Wireless didn't just stake claim to beachfront wireless property, it also grabbed control of the guest list to the open-access party. The government, in opening up the coveted swath of the spectrum, essentially said the winner must allow consumers to use any compatible device or software on it as long as it doesn't harm the network. But analysts said the open-access playground comes with restrictions and Verizon Wireless, as the winner, will be the one making the rules and setting the schedule. The open-access rules are designed to loosen that grip, giving way to more products, innovation and competition. After first fighting the rules, Verizon Wireless has apparently already warmed up to them, and is set to apply them to the rest of its existing network, even before it gets access to the new spectrum. But with Verizon in a gatekeeper's role, analysts and others say they expect an incremental improvement in the overall wireless landscape. Consumer advocates and tech entrepreneurs said the Federal Communications Commission wasted an opportunity by not requiring the winner to lease airwaves to competitors. However, Verizon Wireless has committed to selling wholesale access to its current network, with pricing based on customer usage, and will presumably apply the same model to the new spectrum.
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