Subject: [NEXTEL-1] Nextel "Hating" On Cingular- Nextel Holds Resentment Over Nextel/ Nextwave Scam Gone Bad-

From: [email-masked]
Date: Thu, 06 Nov 2003 11:16:21 -0500

Nextel "Hating" On Cingular- Nextel Holds Resentment Over Nextel/
Nextwave Scam Gone Bad-

Nextel Files Comments with Federal
 Communications Commission --FCC--
 Concerning Cingular Wireless' Request for
 Government Handout
 Thursday November 6, 9:07 am ET

 Waiver Request in NextWave Proceeding Contradicts 'Unjust
 Enrichment' Rules; Cingular Seeks to Avoid Payment of $170
 Million Owed to American Taxpayers

 RESTON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nov. 6, 2003-- Nextel Communications Inc.

 (NASDAQ:NXTL - News) filed comments yesterday with the Federal
Communications
 Commission (FCC) regarding an application by NextWave Personal
Communications,
 NextWave Power Partners and Cingular Wireless LLC seeking a waiver to
abandon the
 obligation to pay almost $170 million in interest on C and F Block
Personal
 Communications Service ("PCS") licenses that Cingular is seeking to
acquire from
 NextWave.

 The Cingular waiver request violates both the spirit and the rules of
the C and F Block
 licenses that were designed for small business enterprises. The
Commission has
 well-established existing precedent in declining similar requests.

 With annual revenues in excess of $14.7 billion in 2002, Cingular's
revenues are more
 than 100 times the limit set on small business eligibility criteria for
C and F Block
 licenses (which were set at $125 million in revenue). Cingular has
failed to justify its
 request as being in the public interest. The Commission's 'unjust
enrichment rules'
 specifically address entities that intend to use preferences afforded
to small business
 to obtain licenses at a lower cost than they would otherwise have to
pay at a market
 price.

 Cingular's two parent companies, Southwestern Bell Corporation (SBC)
and Bell South,
 both aggressively opposed previous proposals before the Commission to
provide C
 and F Block licensees with relief from the conditions laid out in the
Commission's rules.
 In 1997, SBC stated that the "FCC should hold the Licensees to their
original bids and
 not reduce the principal or accumulated interest due." At the same
time, Bell South filed
 comments stating that "Such waivers would undermine the integrity of
the auction
 process" and that "After-the-fact waivers of this kind are
discriminatory."

 In its filing, Nextel also contends that Cingular's conduct raises
concerns about its
 'character qualifications' to acquire these licenses, and cited
Cingular's recent failure to
 cooperate in resolving interference to a public safety communications
network in
 Maryland. In 2002, Anne Arundel County told the FCC, "Cingular was not
cooperative.
 From July to November, 2001, Cingular would neither provide information
needed to
 assess the situation nor cooperate with testing." Further, Nextel urged
the Commission
 to permit "full public participation in the proceeding" by having the
Commission itself
 review this transaction, as it has in similar cases.

http://biz.yahoo.com/bw/031106/65399_1.html

------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~-->
Rent DVDs from home.
Over 14,500 titles. Free Shipping
& No Late Fees. Try Netflix for FREE!
http://us.click.yahoo.com/I3w.vC/hP.FAA/3jkFAA/61FxlB/TM
---------------------------------------------------------------------~->

Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/