Broadband For All

The wireless industry is no stranger to controversy, but M2Z Networks attracts far more than the average share. CEO and founder John Muleta has been advocating free broadband in an industry that generally likes to get paid for linking people to that service. But the former head of the FCC Wireless Telecommunications Bureau is no socialist. Muleta may believe in the progressive ideal of universal broadband, but he thinks the free market is needed to realize it.

“The FCC has struggled to figure out why broadband penetration has stalled in the U.S.,” Muleta said. “They've tried to figure out an incentive-based structure to policies to increase that penetration, but so far they haven't worked. They could try to approach it through the Universal Service Fund, but that would just leave consumers holding the bag. It makes a heck of a lot more sense to at least try a new approach.”

That approach specifically is the combining and auctioning of two bands in the advanced wireless services (AWS) swath to create a single 20 MHz license, called AWS-3. The winner of that spectrum would be required to devote 25% of the overall capacity to a free Internet service covering half of the country within four years and the vast majority of the population after 10 years.

This plan has raised hackles among the incumbent wireless operators, particularly T-Mobile, which is building its 3G high-speed packet access (HSPA) network in adjacent AWS spectrum. T-Mobile has taken its beef to the FCC, claiming that a network running over such a large unpaired frequency license with no guard bands would automatically interfere with its and other operators' 2.1 GHz transmissions. Though not as technologically exposed as T-Mobile, fellow AWS owners AT&T and Verizon Wireless are just as operationally exposed to any free broadband proposal. Consequently they, as well as CTIA, have backed up T-Mobile's request to the FCC to delay any decision until more testing on the band is complete.

No controversy would be complete without the intervention of lawmakers. House Telecommunications and Internet Subcommittee chairman Ed Markey (D-Mass.) and U.S. Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-Calif.) have taken up M2Z's cause. Meanwhile, ranking House Energy and Commerce Committee Republicans Joe Barton (Texas) and Cliff Stearns (Fla.) have criticized FCC Chairman Kevin Martin's inclinations to auction off spectrum with numerous requirements, which may have in mind a lofty policy goal but often result in few or no bids. Exhibit A is the D block of the 700 MHz auction last spring. That particular block of spectrum was earmarked for a nationwide public safety network, but it never sold due to lack of interest.