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Small carriers push FCC to mandate interoperability
A coalition of small wireless carriers are urging the Federal Communications Commission to adopt rules that would make it easier for their customers to roam on larger companies' networks.
The carriers, along with consumer advocacy groups and other businesses, launched the Interoperability Alliance at an event on Capitol Hill on Monday.
The alliance wants to pressure the FCC to adopt rules that would mandate a single technology in the 700 MHz band of radio spectrum. AT&T's cell towers use a different technology in the frequency band, meaning their network is not interoperable with many devices.
The FCC already requires that companies offer fair roaming agreements, but there is no mandate that networks have to be interoperable.
“In this age of technological innovation, American consumers are increasingly tied to their mobile devices and count on their ability to access a working network,“ said Grant Spellmeyer, executive director of federal affairs for US Cellular, a member of the new alliance. “As it stands, a decision by a single carrier to deploy on a separate, unnecessary band class, has not only erected barriers to seamless connectivity but has fractured the device ecosystem resulting in significantly slower deployment, hindering innovation, jobs and consumer benefits that otherwise would exist by unified and interoperable wireless networks. The FCC must act to restore interoperability this year.”
The group also argued that setting interoperability requirements will help first responders use the commercial networks during emergencies.
But an AT&T spokesman warned that government mandates will "do nothing but slow down the deployment of next-generation mobile broadband, causing slower data speeds, poor reception and dropped calls for consumers."
"The commission should reject these calls for unnecessary government intrusion in the competitive wireless industry,” the AT&T spokesman said.
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