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back to article AT&T threatens to pull out of FCC wireless auctions over purchase limits

US wireless megacarrier AT&T has told the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) that it could withdraw from an upcoming wireless spectrum auction over proposed buying limits. The carrier on Wednesday argued that if current caps aren't lifted, AT&T and other carriers would not be able to obtain enough spectrum space to …

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  1. Chad H.

    FCC wants more ability for smaller bidders to get spectrum and discourage horders by imposing limits

    AT&T Refuse to bid

    FCC's plan works greater than expected.

    Gee, some threat AT&T...

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    1. Anonymous Coward
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      Anonymous Coward

      Who wants local/regional spectrum?

      Certainly not wireless carriers or their customers. The day when people are willing to subscribe to a carrier that has you roaming when you get 50 miles from home are in the past.

      Maybe the FCC will get companies interested in deploying wireless broadband rather than cellular, but they certainly won't realize the maximum return on the auction by chasing away the national carriers.

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      1. ratfox
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        Go

        Re: Who wants local/regional spectrum?

        1) Nobody is going to charge roaming fees inside the country.

        2) The goal of the FCC is not, in fact, to make the most amount of money on the auction.

        3) AT&T is bluffing.

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      2. RichardEM
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        Re: Who wants local/regional spectrum?

        So you want the majors to control all of the spectrum so they can charge you what they want.

        Less competition is better RIGHT?

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  2. Grade%
    Big Brother

    Better red than Death Star.

    Competition? China Mobile coupled with Huawei Technologies equipment solutions should put a proper fear of G.O.D. into AT&T and every other alphabet soup agency in the US of effing A. Oops, a pant load just dropped in the Pentagon, so never min<lost carrier>

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  3. Trevor_Pott Gold badge

    This plan is so bad for AT&T that they're refusing to participate...

    ...so it must be fantastic for actual customers then. Carry on, FTC.

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  4. sisk

    Good riddance

    With AT&T out of the picture maybe some of the little guys will stand a chance.

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  5. Terry Cloth
    WTF?

    I've always wondered about this auction malarkey

    Theoretically bandwidth is a shared resource held by the FCC in trust for The American People. So why do they sell it to the highest bidder, who gets all additional profit from then on out? They should be selling leases, for limited times (a decade?, 25 years?, perhaps less?) so a given spectrum would yield continuing, if intermittent, income for the future. Given the rate at which new services come up to take over from fading ones, claims of ``But we couldn't plan for the long term!'' won't wash---they can't do that now.

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    1. sisk
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      Re: I've always wondered about this auction malarkey

      held by the FCC in trust for The American People

      Are you suggesting that there's a part of the government that works for the people? What a novel concept.

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  6. Anonymous Coward
    Anonymous Coward

    So if they don't get what they want, they bitch. And they speak for "other carriers"?

    Just like a bully little bitch, all is fine as long as its their way but make it fair and they throw a temper tantrum. Fuck AT&T.

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    1. StimuliC
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      AT&T are only after Spectrum that rivals want and they want it all. They never improve their service quality and hold that spectrum over the rivals then sell the lease to them when they are desperate to realize money at a profit.

      So yeah, got to agree with you, Fuck AT&T and also, while I am at it Fuck Verizon that pulls the same shit!

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