IIC Canada: Spectrum set asides are inappropriate says FCC commissioner

By Perry Hoffman

OTTAWA – Brendan Carr, recently appointed commissioner of the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has some advice for Canadian spectrum regulators: avoid using spectrum set asides in the 600 MHz auction.In an interview style session with Cartt.ca publisher and editor Greg O’Brien at the International Institute of Canada’s annual conference in Ottawa on Tuesday, Carr, one of three Republicans on the five-member commission, characterized the FCC’s 600 MHz auction as generally successful, but noted it didn’t need to be as complicated as it was. The complexity resulted from the FCC’s decision to set aside spectrum as a way to stimulate...