As we build our new blog, I'm going to keep you updated on the FCC 700 auction on MyDD.  There's some seriously important news out - Commissioner Jonathan Adelstein has come out for open access (last week he was pushing for business models for larger national chunks of spectrum).  Telecom wonk extraordinaire Harold Feld is feeling good.

Commissioner Adelstein publicly supported some kind of open access requirement for the 700 MHz auction licenses. Wooo Hoooo! For us policy geeks, it's kind of like the moment when the Millenium Falcon comes out of nowhere and blasts the Imperial tie fighters targeting Luke as he barrels down toward the access port. Not that I had any doubt where Adelstein's heart was, but it's always reassuring to see him commit himself.

The whole model of auctioning off public assets like spectrum is messed up, but that's where we are at this moment in politics.  We use something like 5% of our spectrum efficiently.  Still, this is a good step forward.  We're making progress.

Meanwhile, there's other news on the FCC.  AT&T agreed to offer $10 DSL as a condition of its merger agreement with Bellsouth.  According to the Consumerist, they lied, and are giving consumers the run-around on the deal they legally have to offer.  This is egregious, but it's possible to put some leverage here as Bush is renominating Commissioner Tate for the FCC.  That's a potential leverage point, since Democrats control Congress.

AT&T executives are a bunch of crooks that steal from consumers and block innovation.  Conveniently for them, they are also massive campaign donors and contribute to think tanks and charities all over the country to whitewash their behavior.

Update [2007-6-21 11:56:51 by Matt Stoller]:: Whoa. There's more on Tate here and here. She's tied into industry and wants to use her position on the FCC as a 'bully pulpit' for DRM, which is 'digital rights management', or technology that allows corporations to control how you use the digital tools you own.

Guess which FCC Commissioner is holding up a universal national wireless network?  It's not a Republican, it's Jonathan Adelstein, who doubts that a national wireless business will bid for spectrum.

Communications Commission member Jonathan Adelstein voiced doubts about the potential for a new national wireless broadband provider to enter the market to take on the incumbent telephone and cable broadband providers.

The Democratic commissioner said he was reluctant to structure the rules of the upcoming radio spectrum auction to encourage the entry of a new player unless there was a commitment that there would be a serious bidder at the auction.

"We don't want to set the table unless we know someone's going to come to dinner," Mr. Adelstein said.

He was speaking at a conference in Washington hosted by the Wireless Communications Association International, a lobby group for broadband service and infrastructure providers.

Speaking to reporters after his formal remarks, Mr. Adelstein said the FCC risked excluding smaller bidders from getting access to the valuable spectrum coming available for no reason if it designates a large block of it to be auctioned off but no large bidder comes forward.

A group calling itself the Coalition for 4G America has been aggressively lobbying for a 22 megahertz block of spectrum with a national license to be auctioned off. The coalition includes the likes of Google Inc., Intel Corp., EBay Inc. unit Skype Inc., and satellite television companies EchoStar Communications Corp. and DirecTV Group Inc.

It argues that such a chunk of spectrum would be necessary in order for a bidder to launch a significant challenge to the dominant cable and phone company broadband providers.

Great.  So Adelstein speaks at a lobbying event for the wireless industry in favor of a position supported by incumbent telcos.  I don't want to knock Adelstein, who has generally been a friend, and imply bad faith when it's not warranted.  I just don't really get his position and why he's reluctant to help create genuine competition for the wireless industry.  There are hundreds of billions on the line for various tech companies, so it's pretty clear there will be some business interest in this chunk of spectrum.  Lobbying is fast and furious, with calls flooding into Senate Commerce Committee offices.  

Meanwhile, John McCain sent a letter to the FCC as well on the 700 auction, and I'm trying to get a sense of what he means - he's calling for spectrum for public safety, which could help in terms of supporting a national wireless network, though I'm not entirely sure.  So far, no other Presidential candidates aside from John Edwards and John McCain have moved on this.

Update [2007-6-16 12:21:17 by Matt Stoller]: Obsidian Wings has a useful corrective on this post.