FCC chief to press for free Internet in new airwaves sale

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin Martin intends to press the five-member body to sell a currently unused block of airwaves with a condition that the owners offer free Internet access. FCC engineers released an analysis late Friday indicating that wireless Internet activity on the unused channels won't interfere with cellphone connections on an adjacent swath owned primarily by T-Mobile USA. Citing tests conducted in September, the FCC's Office of Engineering and Technology said a T-Mobile phone and a test device operating on the neighboring airwaves, even when sitting next to each other, "does not necessarily result in interference." "The engineers are confirming that this can be used for broadband services without interfering with spectrum users next door," Martin told Dow Jones in... [read full story]