Verizon calls for public access to D Block

Steve Zipperstein, Verizon's vice president for legal and external affairs, has called on the FCC to hand over the D Block of spectrum to public safety bodies instead of trying to auction it off again. The plan, which emerged from a speech given to the National Press Club in Washington, as reported by PolicyTracker, calls for …

[Anonymous Coward]

It'll never happen

Mr. Zipperstein is proposing a far to rational and logical idea to a government agency for the use of this spectrum. Thus it will never happen as we all know reasonable ideas that actually make sense and would be of the greatest public benefit never go any where when proposed to a government agency.

[Timo]

good strategy - less competition

Verizon spent tons of money to buy neighboring spectrum, and they have tons of money to make a buildout happen. By suggesting the gov't give away the D block that is a) a nice public relations stunt, and b) a nice way to eliminate one competitor.

The government, doing what it does best, will probably never agree on what to build, so the RF band will go unused/wasted for a long time. In that interim gap all of the public safety users will have to go pay retail to Verizon to get wireless services.

[Anonymous Coward]

Minority of one?

Maybe I am in a minority of one in the sense that selling public asset for the public to use via an accessibility auction certainly seems something Sgt Bilko would admire?

Taxation by proxy?

[Trevor]

@AC 19:12

No, it's more something that Simon Travaglia would admire :)