AT&T, Verizon Control of Airwaves Challenged
AT&T Inc. and Verizon Communications Inc. shouldn’t be allowed to box out smaller wireless carriers from picking up some of the nation’s prime airwaves, the Justice Department told federal regulators Friday.
As Americans become increasingly dependent on smartphones and the mobile Internet, the Federal Communications Commission is planning to auction some of the airspace used by broadcast television to wireless companies. Those particular airwaves are in the lower frequency range and are ideal for transmitting data over long distances in rural areas or through walls.