In our "Break ‘Em Up" series, we argue that the only way to improve the U.S. telecommunications system is by breaking the stranglehold exercised by the dominant conglomerates – the Communications Trust – that control it.

Sadly, at the Senate hearing, none of the esteemed senators raised the most disturbing episode in the recent history of wireless communications. AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon gamed the regulatory system and were able to garner over $8 billion worth of discounted spectrum by posing as “very small businesses.” It was a massive rip-off of wireless spectrum that blocked legitimate small competitors from offering services, as they were “out-bid” by deep-pocketed impostors.