The Federal Communications Commission on Tuesday adopted an order that mandates all mobile phone providers must grant other providers equal access to their roaming networks. The ruling said that the terms much be “just, reasonable, and nondiscriminatory,” since there is a common carrier obligation for roaming services.
The order makes it easier for all U.S. customers to have automatic roaming services wherever they are located, regardless of their service carrier.
In the past, some major service providers charged different smaller carriers different roaming rates, giving discounts to their affiliates and partners, according to Laurie Itkin, director of government affairs for Cricket Communications Inc. This ruling allows companies tofile a complaint with the FCC if they suspect discriminatory practices.
Service providers in rural markets hailed the decision as a victory.
The ruling ensures that “customers served by small rural carriers receive quality affordable wireless services,” said Caitlin Colligan, public affairs manager for Arlington-based National Telecommunications Cooperative Association, which represents about 560 small rural carriers.
However, as FCC Chairman Kevin J. Martin points out in his statement, the ruling “does not impose a price cap or any other form of rate regulation.”
Major nationwide providers had mixed responses. Verizon was “very happy that the FCC has recognized that the wireless market place is competitive and that market forces are at work,” spokeswoman Debra Lewis told The Examiner.
But Reston-based Sprint Nextel Corp. was not satisfied with the ruling. “We are disappointed that the Commission has nonetheless chosen to intervene. … The Commission … must recognize that competition in the wireless market can only thrive if competitors are permitted to build differentiated services,” spokesman John Taylor said in a statement.
The ruling applies to mobile voice service, push-to-talk connections and text messaging. It excludes broadband data service, an issue that may be addressed in the future, Martin said.
