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The Federal Communications Commission agreed Wednesday to consider rules requiring wireless providers and device manufacturers to make devices that can operate on multiple spectrums, according to NextGov.
The FCC aims to make devices more interoperable to provide consumers an opportunity to keep the same device despite moving to a new company, Public Knowledge’s Harold Feld said.
Consumers should not have to buy a new phone when they go to a new company that uses a different spectrum, Feld told NextGov.
The commission is also set to initiate a process allowing companies to use satellite spectrum for a mobile broadband network.
The FCC is considering granting Dish authorization to test their version of the satellite spectrum service, which NextGov reports will not interfere with existing geospatial positioning system bandwidth.
The FCC previously authorized LightSquared for ground use of the satellite spectrum.
The approach evaluating the services will be different and Dish’s services are not expected to pose the same interference issues that LightSquared reportedly did, wrote Christopher King, Stifel Nicolaus analyst.
FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski has also initiated a task force to oversee spectrum incentive auctions.
Congress formed the team last month as the FCC plans to potentially auction off radio frequency spectrum in order to fund a nationwide public safety network.
