The Coalition for 4G in America (MetroPCS Communications, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile USA, Clearwire, Rural Telecommunications Group, and Access Spectrum) is urging the Federal Communications Commission to adopt the following four principles in the National Broadband Plan:
1. The FCC Should Move As Soon As Possible to Auction the Upper 700 MHz DBlock for Commercial Use.
2. The FCC Should Promote Public Safety Broadband Through Incentive-Based, Commercially Viable Public-Private Partnerships That Are Technology, Spectrum Band, and Provider Neutral.
3. The FCC Should Combine the A and D Blocks to Promote Spectrum Efficiency and Enhance Incentives for Creating a Public-Private Partnership.
4. The FCC Should Ensure that Public Safety Narrowband Operations in the 700 MHz Band are Protected from Interference. Public safety 700 MHz narrowband operations remain important for public safety communications and must be protected from harmful interference.
The companies say that the FCC should auction the Upper 700 MHz D Block for commercial use as soon as possible and thereby provide much-needed additional commercial spectrum to promote widespread availability of competitive broadband services.
