Sprint Vs. Non-Profits For WiMax Spectrum Scuff-up over valuable 2.5Ghz EBS spectrum.... Sprint is investing $5 billion in their Xohm Wireless WiMax project by 2010, and will split build obligations with Clearwire 65%/35%. Decades ago, however, the FCC allocated much of the useful 2.5Ghz spectrum to schools and non-profits, and Sprint is bumping heads with such organizations as they try to move forward. Classified as "EBS," the spectrum can't be directly owned by businesses, but the non-profits can lease the spectrum out to businesses. About two thirds of the entire 2.5 gigahertz band is EBS and must be leased through schools and non-profits. Some non-profits didn't even realize they owned it until Sprint came calling: General counsel for Burke County Public Schools, James Hyder, said Sprint made an unexpected offer early last year to lease one of the schools' two spectrum licenses. "We woke up one day and saw we had these," Hyder said. After a call to a former superintendent to clear up what it was exactly Sprint was after, the schools agreed, Hyder said. Now that many of these outfits have been made aware, they're rushing to renew any expired EBS licenses. "These educational groups who didn't really care ... whether they had these [licenses] or not are now seeing dollar signs," says Maravedis analyst Tim Sanders.
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 | | Nothing New Sprint's been doing this since their last attempts a wireless broadband. I've run into their guys on hilltops setting up equipment to prevent the schools from losing the licenses. (They had to be transmitting on the frequency by x date to keep the license)
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CCNA, Comtrain Certified Tower Climber | |
|  |  DoRight
join:2007-07-20
East Petersburg, PA | Re: Nothing New I think it's awesome that the schools can benefit from this and they didn't even know before... Finally something Sprint is doing that benefits both parties.. Yeah.. | |
| | | | | Re: Nothing New Too bad it wont make it back to the kids. I am sure that the administration will find something better to do with their new found wealth. | |
| | | |  tc1uscg
join:2005-03-09
Saint Clair Shores, MI | Re: Nothing New said by battleop:Too bad it wont make it back to the kids. I am sure that the administration will find something better to do with their new found wealth. That's not true. Cell tower fee's go directly to the school district. Local highschool got new bleachers and new turf out of the initial deal. Now they are using the cash to repave the parking lot. I can see some state moving in trying to take the money from the school, or deducting it from what the schools get from the state. But bottom line, Sprint is "educating" these cash strapped org's and teaching them about the cash cow they didn't know they had.  | |
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| | Renewals What's odd is that carriers have to give up spectrum if they don't use it by a certain period. Odd that the feds allow schools/orgs to keep spectrum that they have no use for. | |
| |  en102Canadian, eh?
join:2001-01-26
Valencia, CA | Re: Renewals That's nothing new. Its been that way in the cellular/PCS licensing for a long time, if I'm not mistaken.
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Canada = Hollywood North | |
| | | | Nope, that's why i ran into the Sprint guys, they were installing stuff to use the schools frequencies, if they didn't the school would lose the license.
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CCNA, Comtrain Certified Tower Climber | |
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| |  oh boy.....
Either way, even if Sprint leases it, I doubt this will help the kids much....take a look at our current education system....oh boy.... | |
|  wifi4milezBig Russ, 1918 to 2008. Rest in Peace
join:2004-08-07
New York, NY | Greed Greed GREED! These megacorps are raping the American public! All of this should be FREE. In fact, these greedy companies should be paying ME to use their services! I want 100Mbps with no caps for $1.99 per month! RANT RANT RANT, WHINE WHINE WHINE.......
(typical DSLR reader then notices this article is actually about non-profits and schools, NOT about Sprint or another telco)
(click)
Upon reflection, I do not wish to post. Take me back!
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я люблю Денди! | |
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