Report: FCC will Approve Consensus Plan
According to a report in the Washington Post, most Federal Communications Commissioners favor the Consensus Plan supported by the International Association of Fire Chiefs and other public safety groups to alleviate interference with emergency communications in 800 MHz frequencies.
Most Federal Communications Commission commissioners have voted to support the Consensus Plan proposal, but Nextel Communications will have to pay $1.3 billion to $1.5 billion more than it proposed in exchange for spectrum at 1.9 GHz, the Washington Post reported today.
Under the Consensus Plan, Nextel had agreed to pay $850 million to fund rebanding in the 800 MHz frequencies, which is designed to alleviate interference problems between cellular carriers and public-safety radio systems. Nextel did not propose to pay any additional money for the 1.9 GHz spectrum, but other commercial wireless operators have said such a deal would be a windfall to Nextel and that the FCC is legally obligated to auction the airwaves.