Wireless tower operator Crown Castle said Wed. it will offer mobile TV to cellphones in the top 30 U.S. markets. The $500 million investment will use a national license for 1.670 GHz spectrum it bought during a 2003 FCC auction. Crown Castle also said it will rename its Mobile Media unit Modeo. The first markets, N.Y.C. and Pittsburgh, are slated to come online this year.

Industry sources expressed concern last week that the lack of a proceeding yet on the relationship between designated entities (DEs) and large spectrum holders could slow the long anticipated advanced wireless services auction (AWS), which is expected to occur as early as June. Chmn. Martin has yet to begin circulating an item on DE ties with large wireless carriers. A front page story in the Wall Street Journal last week focused additional attention on the DE issue.

NTIA released cost estimates for clearing federal agencies from spectrum that will be sold through the long-awaited advanced wireless service (AWS) auction, saying the expenses probably will be well below industry and congressional estimates. NTIA projected in a report the cost of 2,240 frequency assignments, across 12 agencies, will run $936 million. The Congressional Budget Office had estimated costs could run as high as $2.5 billion. The NTIA report cleared the way for an FCC auction of 90 MHz of AWS spectrum as early as June.

The FCC in a report to Congress released late Wed. agreed with the Spectrum Coalition for Public Safety, representing law enforcement groups across the U.S., that the 24 MHz of 700 MHz spectrum set to go to public safety after the DTV transition should be adjusted to allow more ambitious broadband uses. But the Commission refused to support demands that public safety get an additional 6 MHz of spectrum.

NTIA Dir. Michael Gallagher will leave the agency early next year, as expected. He had led the agency since shortly after the departure of Nancy Victory in Aug. 2003, though he wasn’t confirmed by the Senate until Nov. 2004. Gallagher is expected to be replaced, at least in an acting capacity, by his deputy John Kneuer, industry sources said.

Verizon Airfone officials met with Cathy Seidel, acting chief of the Wireless Bureau, last week to call for an April auction of 800 MHz spectrum to be used to offer wireless broadband on airliners. “There is significant demand for broadband services onboard commercial and general aviation aircraft, and prompt action by the FCC will enable consumers to benefit from these new services,” Airfone said in a filing about the meeting. The organization said that considering “the tasks that must be undertaken to plan and implement an effective auction,” an auction before May “is possible.”

Irish and U.K. telecom regulators revealed a first- ever joint plan to auction spectrum in the 1785-1805 MHz band for wireless uses. The Office of Communications (Ofcom), which oversees Northern Ireland telecom, and ComReg, the Republic of Ireland regulator, said Thurs. the proposal aims to help providers use the spectrum as efficiently as possible and address the largest market available. Sealed-bid auctions will occur in quick succession, with Ireland first. The reserve price will be

Verizon Airfone said Mon. if the FCC holds an auction of 800 MHz spectrum for air-to-ground (ATG) use in early 2006, the company can offer inflight wireless Internet access in 2007. Airfone turned up the heat on the FCC to set an auction date after the Commission released Fri. an order tying up the loose ends that had to be addressed before an auction could take place (CD Dec 12 p1).

The 9/11 Commission gave the federal govt. an “F” for its work on clearing spectrum for public safety in a final report released Mon. The grade will rise to a “C” if Congress passes the budget reconciliation bill, whose DTV provisions include releasing 24 MHz of spectrum for public safety. Nonetheless, Democrats read the report as savaging Republican policies they say have slowed interoperability funding and aid for first responders. “This is a blistering, scalding indictment,” said Rep. Markey (D-Mass.) at a press briefing Mon.

Two major wireless associations disagreed on at least 2 critical aspects of the FCC’s proposed rules for relocating broadband radio service (BRS) channel 1 and 2 licensees from the 2155-2175 MHz band. While on other points, CTIA and the Wireless Communications Assn. (WCA) disagreed in comments about who’s responsible for deploying comparable facilities on the replacement spectrum and about a sunset of advanced wireless services (AWS) auction winners’ obligations to pay for BRS relocation.