Wireless Industry Group Asks FCC to Dismiss County Executives’ Proposal

WASHINGTON, May 31, 2010 – Wireless industry lobbying group CTIA is asking for the Federal Communication Commission’s dismissal of a free broadband proposal by the County Executives of America. In a request for stimulus grant money through the Broadband Technology Opportunities Program, the county executives asked the FCC to allocate the 2155-2180 megahertz spectrum band, or AWS-3, for the creation of a free broadband service to be put in place in connection with M2Z Networks.

CTIA claims that in making this request, the CEOA is asking the FCC to abandon its recent recommendation in the National Broadband Plan to pair AWS-3 with the federal spectrum. In a letter to the FCC, the CTIA says: “CEOA’s letter and application should be summarily dismissed by the FCC and NTIA as they not only violate the goals recently identified in the NBP but also violate the objectives of the BTOP program.”