FCC Should Block Purchase by Verizon Wireless of Cable Airwaves NJ Says

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FCC Should Block Purchase by Verizon Wireless of Cable Airwaves NJ Says U.S. regulators shouldn’t let Verizon Wireless (VZW) buy airwaves from cable companies because the deal would eliminate possible competitors and enrich sellers that hoarded airwaves, New Jersey’s rate regulator said. A $3.6 billion spectrum purchase from companies led by Comcast Corp. (CMCSA) and Time Warner Cable Inc. (TWC) and a separate $315 million deal with Cox Communications Inc. aren’t “competitively benign,” the New Jersey Division of Rate Counsel said in a Feb. 17 filing with the Federal Communications Commission ahead of a deadline today for comments. The airwaves appreciated by more than $1 billion as they were held by the cable companies, and should be returned to the FCC and auctioned “rather than rewarding the cable companies for stockpiling spectrum,” the New Jersey rate counsel said. The cooperation and marketing agreements “could lead to collusion and higher prices for consumers,” the state agency said. Verizon, the largest U.S. wireless provider, proposed buying airwaves on Dec. 2 from top U.S. cable provider Comcast, No. 2 Time Warner and Bright House Networks LLC, and announced the deal with Cox two weeks later. Under the transactions, Verizon and the cable companies are to market and sell each other’s services. The deals “will move spectrum that is not currently being used to serve consumers to a provider that will make efficient use of that spectrum to serve the public,” Basking Ridge, New Jersey-based Verizon Wireless said in a filing to the FCC. Smartphone Demand Verizon wants to add airwaves as customers increasingly adopt smartphones such as Apple Inc. (AAPL)’s iPhone to watch video and browse the Web. Verizon Wireless is owned by Verizon Communications Inc. (VZ) and Newbury, England-based Vodafone Group Plc. (VOD) AT&T, the second-largest U.S. wireless operator, is seeking new ways to add airwaves after it abandoned its proposed acquisition of T-Mobile USA Inc. in December after government opposition. Cable companies may offer wireless services to their customers through Verizon Wireless without investing in their own network or acquiring a wireless company, Neil Smit, a Comcast executive vice president, said in an interview. .

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