FCC's Copps on Wireless Carterfone
FCC Commisioner Michael Copps gave his statement on the auction rules for the 700 MHz spectrum. The full statement (Word, PDF) is on the FCC Website. An excerpt, with links added:
“Now, within just the last month, Carterfone and wireless open access have been on the front pages of USA Today, the New York Times, and the Washington Post. They have been the subject of Congressional hearings and industry and academic policy forums, as well thousands of emails and letters to the Commission from citizens across the country. What a striking reminder of just how powerful a good idea can be—especially when coupled with strong Congressional oversight and grass roots activism. I find it extremely heartening to see that an academic paper—in this case by Professor Timothy Wu of Columbia Law School—can have such an immediate and forceful influence on policy. Credit is due to Professor Wu as well as many tireless advocates in the public interest and high-tech communities for bringing this idea to the fore. As Congressman Ed Markey, who has been a true trail-blazer here, put it: Carterfone ‘result[ed in] ... incredible innovation and [was] an unquestioned policy success. The FCC has a rare chance to foster similar innovation in the wireless marketplace in the upcoming auctions.’ Wireless Carterfone, in short, is an idea whose time has come.”