Qualcomm Wins New Shot at License
Times Staff and Wire Reports
Qualcomm Inc. will get another chance to win a federal license to offer digital wireless phone service after a federal appeals court ruled that federal regulators applied their licensing rules inconsistently. In the same case, however, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia rejected similar arguments by Viacom Inc. and four other companies. The court ordered the Federal Communications Commission to reconsider its 1993 refusal to grant a so-called pioneer’s preference to San Diego-based Qualcomm. A Qualcomm spokeswoman suggested that the company might use the court ruling as a bargaining chip, rather than seek to have the licenses won by PCS PrimeCo and Wireless Co. for $7.72 billion revoked.
