FCC to put free wireless Internet on December docket?

The Federal Communications Commission is considering revisiting at its Dec. 18 meeting a proposal to make the creation of a tier of free wireless Internet access a condition in the auction of new licensed spectrum in the AWS band.

FCC Commissioner Kevin Martin first floated the idea of free service on a newly licensed Advanced Wireless Service band this summer. The idea may get fuller consideration at the FCC’s December meeting, according to a story in the Wall Street Journal this morning. Martin’s tenure as FCC chief is ending as a new administration takes power next month.

The proposal would create two tiers of service in the 2155-2175 MHz spectrum band. The winner of the bid would have to offer free basic wireless Internet service on the lower portion of that spectrum but could sell higher speed service on the rest of the spectrum. One apparent twist on the free tier: The provider would have to filter out pornographic content, a seeming nod to the public service flavor of the offering.

The FCC has already received proposals from at least one provider, M2Z Networks, to deliver just such a service. But not everyone is keen on the idea. T-Mobile, in particular, is upset with the proposed auction, since it paid $4 billion for the rights to build its 3G network on adjacent AWS spectrum.

Just last month, the FCC set the stage for yet more wireless data competition by approving the use of so-called “white space” spectrum between existing broadcast TV signals to be used to deliver Internet service. A coalition of PC and Web companies including Dell, Google and Microsoft fought to get access to that spectrum despite concerns from broadcasters that white-space data services would disrupt broadcast TV signals.