It has several ex-Google people embedded in the executive branch and elsewhere in the federal government and has learned how to lobby effectively with some success not only with the open access rules for 700 MHz, it also convinced the FCC to open up more unlicensed spectrum for local-area broadband services.

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The law also enabled the formation of a nationwide interoperable wireless network for our first responders, so that police, fire, and rescue agencies can communicate with each other seamlessly across state and local boundaries, with spectrum allocated to public safety spectrum being made available to commercial providers when not in use by first responders.

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Back in 1994, the wireless phone market was a duopoly, with two firms including the local Bell company owning the only available spectrum in each market.

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Without providing a great deal of detail, in theory the FCC would force local TV stations to sell chunks of airwave spectrum rights to the U.S. government, which would then use them for public Wi-Fi networks.

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Given what the FCC admits is a derelict regulatory environment where spectrum has been woefully mismanaged and local municipalities resist efforts by carriers to invest in capital improvements, sometimes for years, mergers are the only way mobile providers can improve service quality.

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In the short run, carriers have taken steps to manage spectrum more efficiently by splitting cell sites, offloading traffic onto local WiFi connections and upgrading back-haul networks.

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But with demand growing by thousands of percent, and with local zoning authorities slow to approve new tower construction or even modifications, more spectrum is essential.

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We need to accelerate the process of getting new spectrum in the hands of those who will use it wisely, and stop local zoning authorities from treating applications to improve the mobile infrastructure as invitations to extract tribute or worse.

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