Local Broadcasters Could Reap Billions in Airwaves Auction
In the wireless industry, nearly three-quarters of this kind of spectrum — which delivers more reliable phone service, particularly in rural areas — is owned by AT&T and Verizon, the two dominant wireless carriers. T-Mobile and Sprint, the next largest wireless carriers, have a tiny portion of those airwaves, and a major motivation for the auction is to keep competition among those four players alive.
In selling the spectrum, the agency has said it plans to set aside some of it for smaller carriers like T-Mobile and Sprint. But just how much of this prized resource is earmarked for them, and how deeply it is discounted, is a major point of contention.
.. But most shared worries that a decline in local broadcasting would give cable and satellite giants a stronger dominance over the TV market and be costly for consumers.