Rural carriers still trying to assess FirstNet opportunity

FirstNet officials continue to state that the organization plans to release its final request for proposal (RFP) by the end of the year, which means that potential bidders will be crafting their responses at the same time that many wireless carriers—expected to be key components of the bidding teams—will be participating in the FCC’s incentive auction for 600 MHz spectrum.

During the panel discussion, Woody said he does not believe the FirstNet opportunity will impact his company’s strategy in the incentive auction.

“I look at that [FirstNet] as hopefully icing on the cake, more than anything,” Woody said. “I don’t think it’s really going to change what markets we want to pursue aggressively or not so aggressively, because we’re really looking first at what we need for ourselves, and that’s going to be dependent on where we’re going to need that low-band spectrum.”

Michael Calabrese, director of the New America Foundation’s wireless future program, said he believes a FirstNet selection of AT&T or Verizon as its sole carrier partner should face antitrust scrutiny.

“We’ve said for years that the worst possible outcome of the FirstNet process would be if FirstNet partners with a single national carrier—particularly one of the two dominant carriers—because that, in effect, gives them another 20 MHz of low-band spectrum,” Calabrese said. “The antitrust division of the Justice Department said that access to low-band spectrum is really the competitive differential between three and four carriers in markets, and this is just kind of a backdoor way [to access more low-band spectrum].

“And they’ve got to remember that FirstNet isn’t just some company out there; FirstNet is a federal enterprise, and it’s public money going into this. Because it’s taxpayer money … there should be considerations of making sure that access to that spectrum is done in a way that promotes competition at the same time that it builds the network that public safety needs.”