T-Mobile, Sprint Push for FCC Vote on Data Roaming Mandate
An FCC data roaming mandate is critical to help a newer challenger like T-Mobile complete with Verizon Wireless and AT&T, T-Mobile told the commission by letter. Data roaming means job growth, the carrier said. Sprint Nextel also urged the FCC this week to move forward on a data roaming requirement, which was recommended in the National Broadband Plan.
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The FCC is expected to vote on a data roaming order as early as its March 3 meeting, with the meeting probably divided into parts, officials said Thursday. The first part will deal with tribal issues, including a notice of inquiry about spectrum on tribal lands. The other part will offer a vote on data roaming or retransmission consent or other pending orders, a senior FCC official said Thursday. No decision has been made.
"The two largest carriers, AT&T and Verizon, obtained their spectrum well before T-Mobile did, giving them a head start in building their networks generally,” T-Mobile said. Voice roaming has given T-Mobile “economic incentives” to expand its network that “would not have existed were it not for the increase in demand for T-Mobile service by customers in areas where T-Mobile originally maintained coverage through roaming arrangements,” the carrier said. Voice roaming has also allowed T-Mobile to locate call centers “in areas in which it previously lacked coverage and build a facilities-based footprint over time as a customer base developed,” the carrier said.
T-Mobile cited Maine, where it said it had few facilities before 2007. Service there made business sense with the FCC’s voice roaming mandate, the company said. “The traffic that T-Mobile generated through its roaming arrangements created economic incentives for T-Mobile to construct its own facilities and expand its presence in the market. Today, T-Mobile employs more than 650 people at its Oakland, Maine, call center and has more than 45 sales outlets throughout the state, providing numerous additional jobs.” A data roaming requirement would similarly benefit competition, the carrier said. “Adoption of a data roaming rule is a straightforward step the Commission can take today that is no more intrusive than the step the Commission took in 2007 to ensure competitive voice roaming,” T-Mobile said. Its letter was signed by Senior Vice President Tom Sugrue, a former chief of the FCC Wireless Bureau.
Sprint Nextel representatives, meanwhile, spoke with Senior Deputy Chief James Schlichting of the Wireless Bureau about the importance of data roaming rules. “The parties discussed the status of data roaming coverage, the status of data roaming agreements, and the immediate need for a data roaming obligation in light of the exponential rise in wireless broadband data usage,” an ex parte filing said.