US: Regulators shut down T-Mobile’s push for more wireless spectrum

US regulators officially closed the door on T-Mobile’s request for more airwaves in the upcoming auction of TV broadcast spectrum set for next year.

All five commissioners on the Federal Communications Commission unanimously voted Thursday to stick with a “spectrum reserve” it adopted last year for the auction, tentatively scheduled for March. The FCC’s move comes as little surprise since FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler signaled in June that the agency had not planned to increase the amount of spectrum it was setting aside for smaller players.

Spectrum is the set of licensed radio airwaves that allow carriers to ferry cat videos and Instagram selfies wirelessly from the Internet to your smartphone. Getting more spectrum is absolutely critical for carriers trying to meet that growing demand for data.

Companies such as T-Mobile and Sprint have been pushing for the FCC to carve out more spectrum they could bid on, without have to go up against the deeper pockets of AT&T or Verizon. And while the FCC agreed last year to set aside some spectrum the smaller operators bid for, T-Mobile argued it needed more.

Full content: The Hill

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