FCC Launches Mobile Wireless Competition Inquiry

The FCC has launched an inquiry that seeks to enhance its analysis of competitive conditions in the mobile wireless market.


The FCC noted that we are now in the midst of a transition from reliance on mobile voice services to increasing use of and reliance on mobile broadband services. A robustly competitive mobile wireless market will be essential to realizing the full benefits to American consumers and channeling investment into vitally important national infrastructure. The FCC said that it is seeking to ensure that competition in the mobile wireless market continues to bring substantial benefits to American consumers.


The FCC said it is seeking to enhance its understanding of the mobile wireless industry in three main ways. First, the FCC inquires about which analytic framework and data sources will most
clearly describe competition in the mobile wireless market. Second, it adjusts the inquiry to include new market segments not covered thoroughly in previous reports, such as device and infrastructure segments. Third, it inquires about vertical relationships between "upstream" and "downstream" market segments, and how these relationships affect competition.


The FCC is required to report annually on the state of competition in the "commercial mobile services".
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