Frontline, Cyren Call in war of words over 700 MHz auction

Frontline Wireless L.L.C. rejected Cyren Call Communications Corp.’s view that first responders should join forces with a top cellphone carrier if federal regulators approve new 700 MHz rules for a national public-safety broadband network that the private sector would build and share with police, firefighters and medics.
Cyren Call Chairman Morgan O’Brien, unsuccessful at persuading policy-makers to designate half of the auction-bound 60 megahertz of spectrum at 700 MHz for a national public-safety broadband wireless system, last week said national cellular carriers are ideal partners because of their existing infrastructure and spectrum assets. As such, O’Brien said 700 MHz rules should encourage auction participation by incumbent mobile-phone operators and others.
Frontline Chairman Janice Obuchowski said O’Brien’s opposition to use of a spectrum block for open access and wholesale operations “would thwart the last real opportunity to facilitate competition and innovation in a wireless industry that is rapidly consolidating and has already reached levels of unacceptable and dangerous concentration.”
The FCC is considering auctioning a 10-megahertz block of spectrum at 700 MHz that could be used in conjunction with 24 megahertz of dedicated public-safety spectrum in the band. The auction winner would build a national system based on public-safety technical requirements, but the network would double as commercial wireless network. The concept is based on Frontline Wireless’ proposal, which includes various conditions opposed by mobile-phone carriers. Cellular operators say they likely would avoid the 10 megahertz at issue during the 700 MHz auction later this year.
“Frontline’s open-access, wholesale proposal is deeply important because it opens the way for competition and innovation in commercial wireless services and because for public safety it assures freedom of choice at the local level with respect to both devices and services,” Frontline Wireless stated. “Mr. O’Brien’s suggestion that public safety would benefit if a major wireless carrier won the E Block auction ignores the danger to public safety of partnering with a wireless carrier that would be motivated by much larger and different business considerations. Moreover, in a commercial marketplace that needs a third way, it would only further entrench a major incumbent whose business interests are served by blocking competition and innovation.”
Cyren Call then responded to Frontline’s reaction.
“Guiding Cyren Call at this time is how to optimize an auction format to achieve a nationwide public-safety broadband network-and our filings with the commission will provide more detail on this,” said Tim O’Regan, a company spokesman.