Ex Parte Comments

EX PARTE COMMENTS OF
THE PUBLIC INTEREST SPECTRUM COALITION

The Public Interest Spectrum Coalition (PISC), applauds the Commission for considering a proposal which has the potential to provide wireless broadband access to all Americans. As the Commission well knows, broadband access can have a transformative effect on people’s lives and has become a critical ingredient for education, economic development, and civic engagement. The public interest obligations the Commission intends to impose upon the proposed new AWS-3 service will advance the specific public interest goals of Section 309(j), the broader goals of the Communications Act, and the goals of the First Amendment in enhancing civic discourse and diversity of information sources. In addition, the presence of a service which provides a genuine alternative to the current wireline cable modem/DSL duopoly will put pressure on cable and telecom providers to enhance their service offerings. The presence of an unrestricted network will also provide further pressure on wireless carriers to open their networks to the full range of content and applications as well as the potential for innovation denied to all Americans today under the existing wireless “walled garden” regime.