CTIA and Competitive Carrier Association officials discussed their...

CTIA and Competitive Carrier Association officials discussed their recent letter calling for an interim waiver of the agency’s “former defaulter” rule prior to the AWS-3 auction, at a series of meetings at the FCC, said an ex parte filing posted by the FCC Monday (http://bit.ly/1pL9tYs). The rule requires bidders to make larger upfront payments for licenses if they ever defaulted on a license or were delinquent on a debt owed to a federal agency (CD June 3 p1). CCA and CTIA officials met with Wireless Bureau Chief Roger Sherman and aides to FCC commissioners, among others at the agency. “If administered properly” the AWS-3 auction will “unleash 65 megahertz of mobile broadband spectrum -- thus playing a vital role in addressing the wireless industry’s continued need for spectrum,” the filing said. “Unfortunately, an overly broad application of the former defaulter rule could inhibit robust auction participation.” The filing was in docket 14-78.