Making Data Roam

[Commentary] Verizon Wireless, which provides wireless broadband access across the country, has sued to block a federal rule requiring wireless broadband providers to offer data roaming on commercially reasonable terms. Verizon is entitled to its day in court, but this suit must not prevail.

The Federal Communications Commission says AT&T signed its first 3G roaming agreement in March, six years after establishing the 3G network. In April 2010, Verizon had only three roaming agreements, according to the FCC. But it hurried up after the FCC started the rule-making process a year ago. Now it has 40, including 10 on its most advanced 4G network. In a letter to the FCC last year, a coalition of wireless carriers complained that the big broadband carriers often refused to negotiate deals, or demanded rates of 30 cents or even $1 per megabyte, which would make watching a movie or downloading a song prohibitively expensive.