NetCompetition Release: Verizon-Cable's Market-based Spectrum Transaction Promotes Competition

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE May 24, 2012

Contact: Scott Cleland 703-217-2407

Verizon-Cable's Market-based Spectrum Transaction Promotes Competition

Promoting secondary market for spectrum & new forms of competition is in the public interest

WASHINGTON D.C. – In response to Senate Antitrust Subcommittee Chairman Kohl's letter to the DOJ and the FCC on the Verizon-Cable transaction, the following quotes may be attributed to Scott Cleland, Chairman of NetCompetition.org:

• "The Chairman's letter is an expected recitation of the various cats-and-dogs issues raised at the Senate March 21^st hearing on the transaction. None of these issues alone or together should thwart approval of the transaction by the DOJ and FCC."

• "The big picture here is that there can't be successful market-based wireless competition without a successful market-based secondary market for spectrum. Market competition can't work if the market is not allowed to work. Opponents' hidden agenda is to undermine market competition policy by encouraging the FCC and not the market to allocate spectrum, even though that would contravene FCC policy, precedent, and Federal law."

• "A fair assessment of the totality of this transaction will find it produces a net increase in real competition. It puts unused spectrum to work. It eliminates no competitor or competition. And it adds new forms of competition that did not exist before."

NETCompetition.org is a pro-competition e-forum representing broadband interests. See www.netcompetition.org.