Earlier this week, Verizon dropped its lawsuit against the FCC regarding their rules for the upcoming 700 MHz spectrum auction. However it’s been noted that wireless association CTIA filed a suspiciously similar lawsuit against the FCC on the same day that Verizon withdrew its suit. Both Verizon and CTIA say that they two events have nothing to do with one another. Verizon claims to have dropped the suit because of the court’s refusal to engage in a “speedy trial”. And CTIA says they want to “correct the record” regarding the FCC’s opinions on marketplace competition.

Unrelated? Unlikely. There are too many coincidences between the two suits. Not only were the actions taken on the same day, but there is language in the CTIA suit which exactly mirrors that in the dropped Verizon suit. And interestingly, CTIA also announced this week that it has just appointed a new board chairman. That chairman happens to be Verizon Wireless CEO / president Lowell McAdam.