Inside The Beltway…
CWA To FCC: No Special Sprint/Clearwire Treatment
While the merger probably will pass muster in the end, it isn’t going to be easy for Japan’s Softbank, Sprint and Clearwire during the vetting process at the FCC. The Communications Workers of America (CWA) asked the commission to pay special attention to the concentration of spectrum that will result from the merger and “the lack of specific, verifiable planned build out by the merged company.” In recent sales/mergers and spectrum auctions, the FCC has imposed buildout requirements, CWA notes, saying it should set specific requirements for Sprint in terms of buildout and coverage, with three- and seven-year benchmarks for serving specific populations. And then there is national security: Clearwire buys network equipment from two Chinese equipment makers considered to be security risks by the House Intelligence Committee.