Arizona May Confer ETC On Smith Bagley.(Government Activity)

Wireless Week, October, 2000 by Carlson, Caron

WASHINGTON--In what will become the first ruling of its kind, regulators in Arizona are preparing to give Smith Bagley Inc. access to federal subsidies to provide wireless service on Indian tribal lands.

For several years, the FCC has been exploring ways to improve phone service on Indian reservations coast to coast, and wireless technology is regularly cited as a logical means of reaching the rural and often-remote areas. However, before tapping into the subsidy pool landline carriers depend on--and thereby compete effectively with the incumbents--a wireless provider must gain the regulatory status of an "eligible telecommunications carrier."

For the two wireless carriers that have ventured down this road--Smith Bagley and Western Wireless...

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