FCC Defends Decision, Says Competitive Harm Is Unlikely
The FCC’s order, released Wednesday, lays out the bureau’s rationale in meticulous detail. Its analysts determined the transfer does not exceed the agency’s overall spectrum screen, which evaluates whether an entity controls too much of the airwaves.
“After carefully evaluating the potential competitive effects of the proposed assignments, we find that the likelihood of competitive harm is low,” the agency wrote.
The commission said the move will bolster AT&T’s network coverage, increase its capacity, and deliver improved performance — benefits the FCC framed as clearly aligned with the public interest.
As for the controversial 3.45 GHz aggregation waiver, the FCC argued that the circumstances warranted flexibility. Allowing AT&T to hold more spectrum in that band, the bureau said, would “ensure the spectrum at issue is put to rapid use,” accelerating service upgrades and deployment.
The agency did not immediately respond to requests for comment on Thursday.
