It’s official! The White House website indicates that President Obama signed the Middle Class Tax Relief and Job Creation Act of 2012 into law on February 22. That clears the way for the FCC to start crafting – and then implementing – the elaborate incentive auction process intended to free up spectrum (including TV spectrum) for mobile broadband. As we previously indicated, this is likely to be a long and complicated process – but at least now (and for the immediate future) the game will be played out primarily in a single venue, i.e., the FCC. No more having to keep one eye on the Commission and the other on Congress to see who was doing what spectrum repurposing-wise at any given moment.
And heads up, all you states and localities – the requirement that you green-light non-substantial changes to wireless towers and base stations is now in effect, too.
