WASHINGTON-Joe Barton, R-Texas, chairman of the House Commerce subcommittee on oversight and investigations, plans to hold a hearing in September on competition in the wireless telecommunications industry.
Barton has failed so far to get a wireless resale amendment included in telecommunications reform legislation, which goes to the House floor next week.
Resellers, which today resell numbers to customers, say they want to install switches between the wireless facility and the public landline telephone network because it is more profitable and furthers competition.
Wireless carriers argue the addition of up to six personal communications services licensees to the two cellular firms already in each market make switched resale unnecessary, particularly in light of the huge amount of capital they’ve invested in system construction and, more recently, in licenses themselves.
In a related matter, the Senate Commerce Committee will hold a hearing this week on spectrum reform.
