VERIZON WIRELESS OFFERS LIMITED CONCESSION ON HOME ROAMING

摘要

Verizon Wireless said it would support legislation or an FCC rule requiring roaming agreements for two years under specified conditions. The concession came in a letter to Chairman Henry Waxman, D-Calif., of the House Commerce Committee. He wants carriers to extend roaming, he has made clear at hearings and in legislation. The letter offers concessions on the home roaming exception, a surprise feature of the automatic roaming rules approved by the FCC two years ago. The exclusion gives carriers a right to deny roaming to another carrier in any market where the second carrier owns spectrum. The in-market exception "attempted to rewrite the build-out obligations of carriers overnight and was opposed by every wireless carrier other than AT&T and Verizon," Sprint Nextel said. "Verizon is now attempting to lock in this special regulatory favor by offering in-market roaming to selected carriers for a two-year period. Sprint Nextel strongly opposes Verizon's attempt to restrict the ability of customers to roam freely regardless of where they travel." nnMany networks on which Verizon seeks to restrict roaming "were constructed using substantial USF funding (primarily in Alltel territories) and cannot be economically duplicated today," Sprint added. "Having purchased these assets, Verizon should not be free to now prevent other carriers from providing roaming services to customers traveling through these areas." T-Mobile had similar concerns. "T-Mobile advocates repeal of the in- market exclusion ... because repeal would level the playing field for all carriers and facilitate coverage for consumers who increasingly expect their phones to function seamlessly anywhere and anytime," the carrier said in a statement. "The FCC should move rapidly to repeal this misguided exception to their roaming rules. Verizon's new position is still anti-consumer and anti- competitive."