Petitioners offer NextWave Personal Telecommunications, Inc.'s bankruptcy as an indictment of small business competitiveness and the Commission's designated entity plan. This is a smoke screen, designed to disguise the fact that these big businesses want more spectrum. But ceding to their wishes would have profound, negative, public policy consequences. Surrendering the PCS C-Block would encourage concentration in telecommunications, the exact opposite of Congress's desire in enacting the Telecommunications Act of 1996. This would give big business a lock on wireless spectrum, would eliminate the chance that another small business would ever again be licensed on any PCS spectrum valued by a large business, would wreak havoc with financing of current small business licensees, and would limit the quality and variety of wireless services available to consumers.
Big business has more than enough wireless spectrum.
In addition, the Commission is about to offer spectrum at 700 MHz, for 3G technology, in an auction ideally suited to large-footprint operations and not subject to spectrum caps on commercial mobile radio services. Large business is limping right along despite the PCS designated entity provisions. Small businesses are crucial to the American economy. They are a chief force for experimentation, innovation, new technology, and economic growth. Small businesses form a large proportion of the American customer base, employ most of the labor force, and create almost all new jobs.