FCC sets stage for airwaves auction

0 Comments | USA TODAY, August, 2007 | by Paul Davidson

Federal regulators Tuesday approved rules for an upcoming airwave auction that are aimed at giving consumers new choices in cellphones and other devices by breaking the grip of the big wireless carriers.

The Federal Communications Commission's rules also make room for a nationwide network that would fix public-safety agencies' inability to communicate with each other in a crisis, a critical problem in disasters such as Hurricane Katrina.

The rules, approved by a 4-1 vote, set the stage for the January auction of airwaves that will be vacated by TV stations when they start to broadcast in digital only in February 2009. They're some of the most desirable airwaves ever sold, because they allow signals to travel farther and more easily penetrate buildings. ...