FCC will hear more comments on wireless deal (Burlington Free Press)
November 16, 2007
By Dan McLean
The Federal Communications Commission agreed to push the comment period deadline back three months on the proposed sale of Unicel to Verizon Wireless to allow more people to voice thoughts about the buyout.
The deal to buy Rural Cellular Corp., which operates Unicel, would give Verizon Wireless a near monopoly on cell phone service in Vermont, Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., and representatives from the Vermont Public Interest Research Group and the Lake Champlain Regional Chamber of Commerce said during a Nov. 5 news conference in Sanders' Burlington office.
The end of the FCC's official comment period on the sale would have been Tuesday, said Will Wi- quist, Sanders' spokesman. The deadline is now Feb. 11.
The FCC specifically cited VPIRG's concerns that more time is needed to study the effects of the merger.
Paul Burns, executive director of VPIRG, called the extension "a small but important victory."
"Now, we must demand that federal regulators deny this merger or include enforceable conditions to prevent consumers from being significantly harmed by the deal," he said.
Sanders said he is considering holding hearings throughout the state to examine the potential economic impacts of the sale of Unicel to Verizon Wireless.
"Vermonters must take a very close look at what a Verizon Wireless monopoly would mean in terms of progress toward universal service at reasonable prices," he said.
Unlike telephone land lines, the state does not regulate the cell phone industry -- something San- ders said should change.
Sanders sent a letter to the FCC on Oct. 29 outlining four conditions that would need to be met for him to support the $2.67 billion deal: an enforceable commitment to provide universal cell phone coverage; continued upkeep, maintenance, and expansion of Unicel's network that serves GSM-type phones; free exchange of Unicel phones to equivalent Verizon Wireless handsets, which operate on a CDMA network; and a commitment to offer reasonable roaming rates and pricing for Vermont.
Comments to the FCC on the proposed deal can be made through Sanders' Web site: www.sanders.senate.gov.
To comment with the FCC, click here.
