U.S. Cellular Eyes Verizon’s 700 MHz Spectrum – Meets With FCC to Insist Sale Could be a Good Thing

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As a bit of a regulatory carrot to get their spectrum and co-marketing deal with the cable industry approved, Verizon Wireless recently stated they’d be holding an auction to sell off the excess spectrum that won’t fit into the company’s LTE plans. Most of those airwaves, acquired in 2008′s AWS auction, exist in the 700 MHz Lower A and B Block spectrum, while Verizon’s LTE network uses 700 MHz upper C spectrum. A new FCC filing by U.S. Cellular indicates the wireless operator is very much interested in the spectrum, and notes that the carrier met with the FCC to argue the sale could be good for the wireless market. U.S. Cellular executives say they also support the idea of AT&T purchasing the spectrum (a much more likely scenario), as long as AT&T supports the Band Class 12 ecosystem. U.S. Cellular has been pushing for 700 MHz interoperability, something the FCC is considering new rules for but which AT&T and Verizon oppose.