As I wrote the other day, the 700 Mhz Spectrum is closed but one auction did not meet its minimum – the spectrum to build the public safety network.
So, what happens now? The Congress is planning to hold meetings to decide just that. Maybe they’ll hold another auction. Maybe they’ll get rid of the minimum bid requirement. Maybe they’ll decide not to privatize the building of the safety network.
I wrote a lot about the public safety spectrum last spring:
More on the Public Safety Broadband Networks
Debate on the Emergency Broadband Network
The questions are similar to the questions floating around community access to broadband – how much should be left to the market and how much should government get involved?
Cyren Call is a company that approached the FCC in 2006 (I think) to take over the spectrum (for free) and build a safety net – but that didn’t work out. Last fall, they become advisors on the public safety spectrum. I didn’t find much info from them post Spectrum bidding.
[...] followed this story earlier on when a company called Cyren Call was the expected public safety net builder. They advocated for [...]
By: Congress wonders about emergency spectrum today at 9:30 am « Blandin on Broadband on April 15, 2008
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