Jan 1, 2009 12:00 PM, By Donny Jackson

FCC reluctantly puts 700 MHz D Block auction plans on hold

Almost a year after the 700 MHz D Block was supposed to be auctioned to create a shared wireless broadband network for public safety, the future of the spectrum apparently will remain in limbo until a new FCC is constituted as part of president-elect Barack Obama's administration.

FCC spokesman Rob Kenny said the agency still hopes to establish rules for another auction of the D Block — the 10 MHz of commercial spectrum that would be paired with 10 MHz of public-safety broadband spectrum to form the spectral foundation of a public/private shared network. However, FCC Chairman Kevin Martin was not optimistic about the possibility when acknowledging that the D Block item would not be on the agenda for the commission's December meeting.

“At this point, I'm not sure there is any consensus or willingness among the other commissioners to move forward on [D Block rules],” Martin said during the press conference, according to a transcript provided by the FCC. “I think that it is important for us to do it, but I haven't gotten a sense from any of the commission offices that they are yet willing to move forward.

“If I do, I would certainly be anxious for us to do it as soon as we could — in January, if there was a consensus or a majority ready to move forward. But, I haven't gotten that sense from the commissioners.”

If the FCC does not approve new rules for the D Block in January, there could be a substantial delay in addressing the matter, as the FCC experiences a transition period in conjunction with a new presidential administration.

Before the FCC's January meeting, Republican Commissioner Deborah Taylor Tate will leave the commission, unless unexpected last-minute actions are taken to extend her expiring term. After the January meeting, Martin also is expected to leave the FCC after being replaced as chairman following Obama's inauguration.

As is often the case in the aftermath of a presidential election, the Beltway rumor mill is working overtime regarding the identity of the next FCC chairman. Certainly current Democrat Commissioners Michael Copps and Jonathan Adelstein are in the discussion, but it also is possible that they could be passed over for a newcomer or be offered other posts outside the FCC by the Obama administration.

Making such a delay more likely is that there appears to be little consensus within the commercial wireless or public-safety communities, much less a sense of agreement between the two groups.

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