Verizon sues FCC to stop roaming rule

Verizon on Tuesday sued the FCC to try and stop its new data roaming requirement. The carrier repeated arguments like those it has used to try and block net neutrality and argued that the FCC didn't have the authority to regulate roaming deals. It avoided a mistake it made in the neutrality case and waited until the rule was in the official register to launch its case.

FCC officials haven't commented on their response but are expected to fight the lawsuit.

Incumbent carriers, most publicly Verizon, have opposed any attempt at requiring that they offer fair roaming deals to smaller carriers like Sprint. While differences in network formats have made some roaming deals technically difficult or impossible, smaller carriers have pointed out that AT&T and Verizon have often either charged steep rates for roaming or refused to offer deals at all. AT&T chief Randall Stephenson during a Senate hearing on the T-Mobile merger insisted that his company was willing to make deals but was contradicted by Cellular South's Victor Meena, who said AT&T hadn't made deals his network wanted.

Verizon above all other carriers in the US has a major interest in preventing roaming deals. As most US networks outside of AT&T and T-Mobile share the same CDMA standard as Verizon, roaming would help the smaller carriers compete against their larger rival by giving them more consistent coverage. A successful block on the FCC rules would more likely force these carriers to make costly upgrades to their own networks if they want similar coverage, giving the much larger and wealthier Verizon an inherent advantage.

By Electronista Staff