"White space" broadband, a technology that rides on the unlicensed spectrum freed by the migration to digital television, only recently got off the ground and has significant potential promise as a new, inexpensive, long range niche wireless alternative. As such, wireless carriers like AT&T have been trying their best to kill it in the metaphorical cradle to prevent potential future competitors.

Earlier this year AT&T failed to sneak language into a payroll tax extension bill that would have prohibited the FCC from allocating unlisenced spectrum in the TV white spaces. AT&T has been throwing money at the GOP so they'll oppose not only White Space broadband, but limits on spectrum ownership designed precisely to stop companies like AT&T from edging out competitors through spectrum hoarding:AT&T, and their well-paid friends in Congress also strictly oppose "use it or lose it" rules also aimed at preventing spectrum hoarding. The GOP pretense is that they're just super concerned about the quality of U.S. networks, but the reality here is they're being directed by AT&T, who simply doesn't want the competition that anti-hoarding rules or unlicensed spectrum could potentially help facilitate.